DNC Chair Calls Out Republicans’ Partisan Responses to Paris Terror Attacks

WASHINGTON – Today, DNC Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz called out Republicans for their overwhelmingly partisan responses to the Paris terror attacks:

“This weekend our three Democratic candidates for president held a substantive conversation about keeping our country safe that remained serious and demonstrated respect for voters. In sharp contrast, Republican candidates for president have spent the days since the terror attack in Paris launching ugly, partisan attacks and using the tragedy for political gain. The presidential candidates of the Party that tried to rename ‘French fries’ as ‘freedom fries’ is now trying to make political hay out of the deaths of innocents. 

“Marco Rubio, in particular, took the political rhetoric to a new low first by fundraising off of the attacks and then by comparing Muslims to 'members of the Nazi Party.' It is outrageous to suggest a peaceful world religion with 1.6 billion members is akin to a political party whose leaders and members were bent on the destruction of Jews and other innocent people. Muslims have been the biggest victims of ISIS and other jihadist terrorist organizations, and a failure to recognize the role Muslims play here at home and around the world to defeat violent extremist terrorist organizations shows Marco Rubio just doesn't get it and isn’t ready to be president. That kind of rhetoric makes forming the necessary coalition we need to defeat ISIS even harder.

“What the ‘freedom fries’ Republican field of candidates are calling for is a go-it-alone foreign policy, just like the one George W. Bush and Dick Cheney pursued, which further destabilized the Middle East, cost our nation trillions of dollars and thousands of lives, damaged our relationships with our allies, and undermined our credibility around the world.

“Our Democratic candidates spoke with the gravitas and responsibility that we should expect from our 45th President of the United States, while the Republican rhetoric is not only insensitive in the face of tragedy, but also downright irresponsible and insulting to voters.”

Here’s just a small sampling of the disgusting Republican response to the terror attacks in Paris:

  • Marco Rubio is using the Paris attacks to raise campaign funds.
  • Marco Rubio compared Muslims to Nazis: “That would be like saying we weren't at war with Nazis because we were afraid to offend some Germans who may have been members of the Nazi party but weren't violent themselves.”
  • Ted Cruz said “I recognize Barack Obama does not wish to defend this country.”
  • Ted Cruz called for Christian refugees to be allowed asylum in the United States, but not Muslims.
  • Donald Trump argued “You can say what you want, but if they had guns, if our people had guns, if they were allowed to carry, it would have been a much, much different situation.”
  • Donald Trump said he would “strongly consider” closing some Mosques in response to the attack.
  • Jeb Bush called for screening refugees fleeing the Syrian conflict based on religion, saying, “I think our focus ought to be on the Christians.”
  • Mike Huckabee said “It’s time for a president who will act to protect Americans, not just talk and protect the image of Islam.”
  • Mike Huckabee suggested that “we better wake up and smell the falafel” following the attacks.
  • Rick Santorum charged “[President Obama] is either uninformed, dishonest, delusional, and probably all three.”
  • Carly Fiorina claimed “The murder, mayhem, danger and tragedy we see unfolding in Paris, throughout the Middle East and too often in our own homeland, are the direct consequence of this administration’s policies.”