Karen Handel, the Republican candidate for an open Congressional seat in Georgia, threw her support behind President Donald Trump’s travel ban during the first debate before the runoff election.
“It is a temporary, limited halt for six countries that are known to harbor terrorists,” Handel said of Trump’s revised travel ban during the Tuesday night debate hosted by Atlanta TV station WSB.
She emphasized that she does not support a “religious litmus test” for people entering the country, but said that the Department of Homeland Security needs time to evaluate the United States’ vetting procedures. Trump’s executive order, which has been tied up in the courts, sought to ban travelers from six predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States.
Handel’s statement of support came in response to a question on national security and Trump’s travel ban.
In response to the same question, Ossoff initially did not address Trump’s executive order. Pressed again, Ossoff said that the travel ban is “not effective” and that the United States needs an intelligence-driven approach to the issue.
