Gingrich describes Obama as a national security risk
(CNN) – Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich on Tuesday stood by comments he made the previous day urging voters to defeat President Barack Obama as a “duty of national security.” Asked what he meant by his remarks, the former House speaker said the president’s policies pander to Islamic countries and the federal government refuses to “talk accurately about radical Islam.” CNN LIVE: Tune in Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET for the last presidential debate before Super Tuesday, the CNN/Arizona Republican Party Debate hosted by John King. Follow it on Twitter at #CNNDebate and on Facebook at CNN Politics. For real-time coverage of the Arizona and Michigan primaries, go to CNNPolitics.com or to the CNN apps or CNN mobile web site . – Follow the Ticker on Twitter: @PoliticalTicker “I don’t think that’s very effective,” he said on CBS’s “This Morning.” “I think it’s dangerous to America.” Gingrich downplayed the recent arrest of a Moroccan man who was on his way to the U.S. Capitol with what he thought was an explosive-laden vest but instead was a fake provided by authorities as part of a sting. But the former speaker referred to the incident as one that “barely” prevented a terrorist attack on U.S. soil. He also chided the president for the country’s limited role in the conflict in Egypt last year, arguing the U.S. should have been more involved to prove it stands by its longtime allies. “This is an administration that no country really trusts,” Gingrich said. On Tuesday, the candidate also hit the president over what he called Obama’s “outrageously anti-American energy” policies, pointing to his opposition to the Keystone pipeline and his push for more efficient cars. “This is a president who routinely only obeys those laws he personally views fit,” he said. Gingrich made the original comments–in which he also blasted Obama as “incapable of defending the United States”– on Monday while speaking at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Gingrich is campaigning in Oklahoma again on Tuesday, two weeks before the Super Tuesday state holds its primary. – CNN Political Producer Shawna Shepherd contributed to this report. Also see: Santorum clarifies ‘theology’ remark Santorum rips Obama on social agenda Gay sheriff resigns Romney role after allegations
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Gingrich describes Obama as a national security risk