Rick Perry Doubles Down on His Statement on Turkey Being Run by Islamic Terrorists
Rick Perry decided to double down on his previous statement that Turkey "is being ruled by, what many would perceive to be Islamic terrorists." When asked by CNN's Wolf Blitzer if he stood by his remarks, Perry said yes and used honor killings to justify his remarks.
BLITZER: You caused a stir at the debate last night when you spoke about Turkey. And I'll play the clip for those who did not hear what you said about Turkey. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PERRY: Well, obviously when you have a country that is being ruled by what many would perceived to be Islamic terrorists, when you start seeing that type of activity against their own citizens, then, yes, not only is it time for us to have a conversation about whether or not they belong in NATO, but it's time for the United States, when we look at their foreign aid, to go to zero with it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: All right. The Turkish Foreign Ministry issued a statement today. In part -- I'll read it to you -- they said, "Turkey became a member of NATO when the governor was just 2 years old. Turkey has been among the front line countries in the fight against terrorism. The United States has no time to lose with such candidates who do not even know America's allies."
Did you misspeak last night? Are you ready to revise your comments?
PERRY: Not at all. A country that allowed 140 to 160 honor killings in 2011, I will tell you that is not a country that America wants to be associating with. A country that referred to the Israel flotilla attack as an act of war, I mean, this is a country that's becoming more and more aggressive to a true American ally in that area, and that is Israel.
