Rep. Gohmert sounds off on Obama's response to ISIS threats
President addresses military strategy
This is a rush transcript from "Your World," August 28, 2014. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
NEIL CAVUTO, HOST: As you know, there's been talk that the president is about to issue an executive order that could hold off on deportations for upwards of five million illegals already here.
The president, it has been rumored in fact -- Illinois Congressman Gutierrez was here yesterday saying that it was the president who was considering doing just that in the near future, president indicating nothing of the sort. He was talking about apprehensions that have gone way, way down. They have picked up -- in other words, it's improved.
He did not given credit to Texas Governor Rick Perry, who has brought 3,000 National Guardsmen to the border to help deal with that situation.
Louie Gohmert is here of that fine state.
Congressman, you were very patient throughout all of this.
I do want to touch on the ISIS situation. By the way, so some confusion when the president refers to ISIS or ISIL, or the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, which seems to be the popular way to refer to the ISIS threat now.
Bottom line, they're just bad guys. And bottom line is, the president has said we don't have a strategy right now.
Do you buy that?
REP. LOUIE GOHMERT, R-TEXAS: No, I agree. He has never had a good strategy.
And I don't want people to lose sight of the fact when we're talking about ISIS -- ISIS, ISIL -- the rebels in Syria, the rebels in Iraq, when -- when -- when people say he should have bombed, he was going to bomb Assad a year ago. If he had done what he said he was going to do, ISIS...
(CROSSTALK)
CAVUTO: That was a year ago this weekend.
GOHMERT: That was a year ago. Then ISIS would be -- would have already taken over all of Syria.
If he had done in Syria as he did in Libya -- now, Gadhafi was a bad guy, but since 2003...
CAVUTO: Well, wait. What are you saying? If he had bombed then a year ago now, when he had had that opportunity...
GOHMERT: ISIS would have had Syria, basically. I mean, the rebels would have had Syria.
(CROSSTALK)
CAVUTO: So, what does he do now?
GOHMERT: Well, you bomb the bad guys.
And that is -- that is ISIS. It's the radical Islamists. It's always been. He saw it a few years ago as being an Arab spring. It was radical Islam, and he kept choosing to help radical Islam.
(CROSSTALK)
CAVUTO: So, let me ask you. Let me be clear. Then, if the president decides to act unilaterally, and -- and go ahead and...
GOHMERT: He won't have to. He will have plenty of members of Congress that will support him.
CAVUTO: So, you would back him? You would back him on that?
GOHMERT: You betcha.
We would -- I think a lot of us would be willing to have a declaration of war against radical Islam, including al Qaeda, ISIS, ISIL, all of these splinter groups, the ones in Libya. We can name them, and -- and I don't think a lot of us would have a problem.
CAVUTO: So, we know more now than we did a year ago?
GOHMERT: Well, some of us knew last year.
We were going, you're helping -- just like we did in Libya. You're going to help the radical Islamists take over. Assad is not a good guy. But at least he has not been persecuting Christians and Jews and mistreating people the way that radical Islamists...
CAVUTO: So, he is the lesser of our evils?
GOHMERT: Yes, just like Mubarak was, just like Gadhafi was after 2003 only, after we went into Iraq.
But he has consistently chosen, with whatever ridiculous advice he has been getting, to choose the side of the radical Islamists.
CAVUTO: But you think now, Congressman -- I understand.
(CROSSTALK)
GOHMERT: We have been providing weapons to the rebels.
(CROSSTALK)
CAVUTO: You think now, if he acted to deal with ISIS Syria, in Iraq, wherever this expands, you would be for it, and you think Republicans would support him?
GOHMERT: As long as he is going after the radical Islamists, and not the Assad administration.
CAVUTO: General Bob Scales, if you're still there, my friend -- I don't know if you are -- what do you think of that...
MAJ. GEN. ROBERT SCALES (RET.), FOX NEWS MILITARY ANALYST: Neil, I am.
CAVUTO: ... and -- and that the president would act and maybe with the folks like the congressman's blessing to expand this campaign?
SCALES: Well, I think the congressman is right.
The president can talk about diplomatic, political, and economic, and coalition approaches to the ISIS problem. But here is the thing, Neil. ISIS is overwhelmingly a military problem. It is a military challenge to the West, not diplomatic or political.
And he's exactly right. And nowhere in the president's speech did he talk about offensive military options, only defensive military options to protect embassies and to protect and to use for humanitarian purposes.
The bottom line is this. ISIS can't be defeated unless we or someone kills them. That's it.
GOHMERT: That's right.
SCALES: ISIS doesn't care about anything else. They want to establish a caliphate over the bodies of the unbelievers. And the way you get rid of them is to kill them, not to deal with them.
GOHMERT: That's right, Neil.
CAVUTO: General, thank you.
Congressman, to you on this illegal immigration, if I could follow up.
GOHMERT: Yes.
CAVUTO: Because the president has indicated that he is still weighing all his options, blaming the House for not acting, when, in fact, you guys did submit a bill.
GOHMERT: We did.
And, actually, we were going to spend a lot more money before the end of the fiscal year than the president even asked for.
CAVUTO: But it's a moot point now. It's a moot point now. He didn't do it.
(CROSSTALK)
GOHMERT: No, he could get the Senate...
(CROSSTALK)
GOHMERT: ... pass our bill if he would...
(CROSSTALK)
CAVUTO: Bottom line, if he were to act on this unilateral action to go ahead and by executive order grant amnesty to upwards of five million illegals here, is that an impeachable offense to you?
GOHMERT: I don't think he will. I think it's strictly...
CAVUTO: If he were, if he were.
GOHMERT: I just can't imagine he would do it.
CAVUTO: Congressman Gutierrez seems to think he is going to do it.
GOHMERT: I know he does.
But, look, here in the last two days, they have gotten progress in what I would call going the wrong direction, but...
CAVUTO: But is that an illegal move, Congressman, if he does that? Is that an illegal move?
(CROSSTALK)
GOHMERT: That is an illegal move, yes, it is.
CAVUTO: OK.
GOHMERT: And -- but, on ISIS, let's don't lose sight of the fact...
CAVUTO: All right.
GOHMERT: ... that this president has been wrong every time.
CAVUTO: OK.
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