Iowa Dem Says She Wouldn't Revoke Passports of Americans Fighting With ISIS (Video)

During a televised debate, last week, candidate for U.S. Congress Staci Appel (D-IA) opposed the idea of revoking passports of Americans who have admitted to joining and fighting with terrorist organizations.

Appel said, “I would not be urging taking away their passports. I think we need to make sure that we work through the system and look through it on a very diligent basis.”
Her comment came after Republican candidate David Young said that if he were elected to Congress, he would call on the State Department to revoke the passports of admitted terrorists.
Young, who previously served as U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley’s chief of staff said, “our State Department has that authority. Right now, they’re not doing it. They’re guising it under the gauge of religious freedom — that’s absurd to me.”

 

According to various estimates, there are anywhere from twelve to hundreds of Americans currently fighting with terrorists overseas. Even if the number is as low as twelve – that’s obviously too many radicalized traitors to be welcoming back to the homeland. One would think that that would be obvious. But apparently it isn’t to the
Obama State Department, or to Democrats like Staci Appel. 

Naturally, Iowa Republicans have been quick to turn the issue into campaign fodder. 

Via Caffeinated Thoughts: 

Yesterday in a released statement Iowa GOP Chair Jeff Kaufmann criticized her answer, “Staci Appel was asked outright if she would confiscate passports from known American terrorists and inconceivably said she wouldn’t. This is a dangerous and ignorant position, and it is clear she does not fully understand the threat posed by the new Islamic State.” 

“The security of the United States should be a top concern, and Appel has spectacularly failed this leadership test. It’s simply shocking how naive she is on foreign policy issues,” Kaufmann added. “In contrast, David Young understands the dangerous threat posed by Islamic radicals, and he will do everything in his power to keep Iowa families safe. We simply can’t risk our safety and security with a vote for his opponent.”