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.”