House Homeland Security Chairman Mike McCaul (R-TX) isn’t indulging in conspiracy theories that the federal government is trying to conduct a military takeover of Texas through a training exercise.
McCaul was asked about the “Jade Helm 15” training exercise at a Christian Science Monitor breakfast on Thursday.
“I’m a big supporter of our United States military,” McCaul responded.
When TPM pressed him to expand, McCaul said, “Our United States military is not our threat.” He added that the Islamic State (ISIS) is the real threat.
In early May, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) ordered the Texas state guard to monitor the exercise in response to fringe fears that the operation was actually a thinly-veiled move to take over the state. Abbott and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) have both blamed President Obama for Texans’ distrust of the U.S. military that fueled the Jade Helm theories.
“I think the cause of the underlying concern is that we see instances, like a shooting in Fort Hood by a terrorist, that the president labels workplace violence,” Abbott said in an interview with Texas news station KXAN. “We see the president come to the border in Texas and say it’s safer than it’s ever been. And so I think it was a misplaced perception by people in Texas who have problems with the Obama administration and connected that trust with the Obama administration to the military.”
Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) argued early in May, “It’s okay to question your government” but added that “I think our military is quite trustworthy.”
In other words, he’s saying the military is trustworthy, that Obama is not.
So in right wingnutland, Obama is CiC and could deploy the military to takeover a state
and the federal government is evil
but don’t worry, military is trustworthy.
The disconnect is weird.
The chairman should have said the conspiracy theory is bullshit and call these people out for the kooks they are.
Instead - just like with the birther nonsense - they play coy, entertain all this and then somehow blame Obama.
Same shit, different day and still no real leader in that Party.
Obviously this black rationalist is making it harder for our meth selling chain and knife carrying communities to thrive…
Well they did have an invasion in Texas but it was by 200 or so bikers.
well, no. the real problem is the delusional people who buy into the crazed far right media. they get played like a drum and can no longer think for themselves. sorry, but "obama made them stupid’ just does not fly. stop pandering. tell the kooks that they are kooks.
There’s some word salad tossing going on here. He’s acknowledging that Jade Helm is a bogus conspiracy, but he’s also getting in some digs at the president in a wishy washy way but he’s the chair of the committee so wants to rise above some of it. Nevertheless, McCaul can pour water, he can waterboard; crazies wherever they are are going to believe the nefarious theories they’ve dreamed of.