After a tragic incident where thousands of individuals were killed in Israel, former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy expressed concerns about the possibility of a similar tragedy happening in the United States.
McCarthy discussed Israel’s recent intelligence failure and its relevance to U.S. border policies.
McCarthy urged American voters and lawmakers to remain vigilant, stating that what occurred in Southern Israel could potentially happen in the U.S. in the near future.
He pointed out that authorities had apprehended “more people” on terror watchlists in February 2023 than during the entire Biden administration.
“We should wake up ourselves. We could have the same thing happen next week to us,” McCarthy said. “We caught more people on the terrorist watchlist in February than we caught in the entire administration. We could have cells sitting inside of America right now.”
The former speaker highlighted the United States’ “wide-open border” with Mexico and noted that Customs and Border Protection agents routinely encounter individuals from 160 different countries, some of which have a history of extremism.
“We should take a step back and look at ourselves,” McCarthy added. “Your intel is never perfect and we’ve got a wide-open border. They’re coming from 160 different countries,” including those known to harbor militant operatives loyal to Iran and other terror groups, like the Taliban.
“How did we not know that is happening” in the Gaza Strip? McCarthy asked. “Everybody should look at their own intelligence right now.”
A Twitter-based report from Fox reporter Bill Melugin on October 10th seemed to support the idea that terror suspects were exploiting Biden administration policies and entering the United States at an increased rate.
Internal CBP data provided & confirmed by CBP sources reveals thousands of “special interest aliens” from mostly Middle Eastern countries have been apprehended by Border Patrol while crossing into U.S. illegally over last 2 years.
Syria: 538
Yemen: 139
Iran: 659
Iraq: 123
Afghanistan: 6,386
Lebanon: 164
Egypt: 3,153
Pakistan: 1,613
Mauritania: 15,594
Uzbekistan: 13,624
Turkey: 30,830
Date range 10/1/2021 – 10/4/2023
Bill Melugin, Twitter
McCarthy also mentioned his removal from the speakership, attributing it to a few members seeking his ouster.
“I may have lost this vote today, but as I walk out of this chamber I feel fortunate to have served,” McCarthy said. “I wouldn’t change a thing.”
He expressed his belief that the absence of a speaker conveys a sense of weakness and discussed the criticism faced by Rep. Matt Gaetz following his removal.
“It’s unfortunate a few members did the actions they did, and now we don’t even have a speaker sitting there,” he said. “It shows the weakness.”
The situation was further exacerbated by Hamas’ invasion of Israel in the days that followed.
“You have to understand this isn’t going to be a short time,” McCarthy said. “This is something different. This is a long-term battle.”
