Following Hurricane Milton’s catastrophic landfall, Governor Ron DeSantis has requested an Expedited Major Disaster Declaration to support Florida's response and recovery efforts. U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), U.S. Representative Vern Buchanan (R-FL), and members...
Following Hurricane Milton’s catastrophic landfall in Florida, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) joined the U.S. Coast Guard to survey impacted areas across the State. Photos are courtesy of Senator Rubio’s office. Senator Rubio joins the U.S. Coast Guard for a flyover...
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio’s (R-FL) office will host in-person Mobile Office Hours next week to assist constituents with federal casework issues in their respective local communities. These office hours offer constituents who do not live close to one of Senator Rubio’s...
Major Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall in Florida, bringing with it devastating storm surge, winds, and inland flooding. The Seminole Tribe of Florida should have access to the federal resources required for emergency response and recovery preparations on...
Major Hurricane Milton is forecasted to potentially hinder or obstruct the Port of Tampa Bay, which receives more than 40 percent of Florida’s petroleum products. It’s crucial for the federal government to expedite all requested measures to protect Florida’s economy...
Major Hurricane Milton is forecasted to impact Florida with devastating storm surge, winds, and inland flooding. After just being hit by Hurricane Helene, it’s crucial for the State of Florida to have the support of the federal government. U.S. Senators Marco Rubio...
RUBIO ON BENGHAZI SUSPECT: “I think that the reason why we want to apprehend terrorists and take him to a facility like Guantanamo is because you want to be able to access actual intelligence. … You want to get information about who else is out there in the battlefield, what else are they planning, where are they located, the sorts of things you’re able to get through an extended period of interrogation, which you won’t get once they read their Miranda rights and are assigned a lawyer.”
RUBIO ON ISIL ADVANCES IN IRAQ: “This ISIL group is an extremely dangerous group. They have now established, or are on the verge of establishing, a safe haven in both areas that encompass both Syria and Iraq. And I think what we need to do is we should target – in any way possible, through the air and any other means available to us – the supply routes that are allowing them to carry out this advance.”
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio
610 WIOD Miami Radio
June 18, 2014
http://youtu.be/7yaXXomy8IY
Host Jimmy Cefalo: “Your thoughts about him not being taken to Guantanamo, apparently being taken to the U.S.?”
Senator Marco Rubio: “Well, my thoughts are, I’m glad he’s in custody, that he’s going to be held accountable and he’s off the battlefield and he can’t be out there targeting more Americans. But I don’t agree with the decision to bring him back to the U.S. and read him his Miranda rights and treat him like a common criminal.
“I think that the reason why we want to apprehend terrorists and take him to a facility like Guantanamo is because you want to be able to access actual intelligence. You want to know, you know, you want to get information about who else is out there in the battlefield, what else are they planning, where are they located, the sorts of things you’re able to get through an extended period of interrogation, which you won’t get once they read their Miranda rights and are assigned a lawyer.
“This is not the same as apprehending a burglar or someone who has committed a murder in the United States. This is more than just that. Certainly they are murderers because of what they did in Benghazi, but beyond that, these are terrorists who are involved in ongoing plots against U.S. interests around the world. So I think it’s a big mistake.”
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Cefalo: “Let’s talk about Iraq if we can for just a second. The terrorists, ISIS, is moving closer to Baghdad, taking city after city, and we spent a lot of money and a lot of lives trying to secure that nation over the past decade or so. Your thoughts about what you believe we should be doing to try to curtail that?”
Rubio: “Well first, it’s important to explain to people why this even matters. … This is not about rebuilding Iraq, although we would certainly love to see an Iraq that’s prosperous and democratic and inclusive of both Shia and Sunnis, and tolerant of others as well.
“But, that’s not the primary issue right now for us. The primary issue is that the reason why 9/11 happened was because Al Qaeda was able to use Afghanistan as a safe haven, where they were untouchable. And from there, they plotted these attacks and carried them out. What we never want to see happen again is the emergence of another safe haven anywhere in the world because we know that what they want to do from those safe havens is attack us. They’re planning to do that now – if they had a safe haven to do it, it would only accelerate that.
“And that’s what’s happening here in Iraq. This group used to be part of Al Qaeda. They’re actually in dispute with Al Qaeda because Al Qaeda – as brutal and ugly as Al Qaeda is – they actually have cut ties with this group because this group is brutal to Muslims, and Al Qaeda thinks that’s counterproductive. So they’re actually, in some instances, even more brutal than Al Qaeda has been.
“And so this ISIL group is an extremely dangerous group. They have now established, or are on the verge of establishing, a safe haven in both areas that encompass both Syria and Iraq. And I think what we need to do is we should target – in any way possible, through the air and any other means available to us – the supply routes that are allowing them to carry out this advance. And those supply routes are coming out of eastern Syria and transversing into western and northwestern Iraq. And we should be targeting those supply routes to cut these guys off from making any further advances.”
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