(CNN) – Newt Gingrich is standing by his criticism of the Obama administration in the wake of the attempted Christmas Day terror attack, saying Monday he believes the Justice Department is more concerned with the rights of terrorists than those of Americans.
"I believe what you have is a group of people centered in the Justice Department and the Attorney General, whose law firms all gave pro bono support to terrorism," the former House Speaker told Fox News host Bill O'Reilly Monday. "They start every day with a presumption that the rights of terrorists are more important than the lives of Americans."
An incredulous O'Reilly replied that Gingrich's statement was "impossible to believe" and asked, "Why would any rational person want to extend protections to a terrorist than their own family?"
"You interjected the word 'rational,'" Gingrich responded.
"We are in much greater danger than we were a year ago," he also said. "...We have to confront the fact that this is going to be a much bigger, much harder war than we thought."
In a letter in the conservative magazine Human Events last week, Gingrich said the recent terror attempt highlighted the need "to profile for terrorists and to actively discriminate based on suspicious terrorist information."
"Today, because our elites fear politically incorrect honesty, they believe that it is better to harass the innocent, delay the harmless, and risk the lives of every American than to do the obvious, the effective, and the necessary," Gingrich wrote.
From CNN Politics
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You do not have to agree with Gingrich but some of the comments here are over the top. While we know that terrorism can come in any color from any country we know where the likely terrorists are coming from and what they tend to look like. To turn a blind eye to probability in the name of political correctness is not only stupid but dangerous. That is just what you get when you elect a bunch of lawyers. Details and loopholes became more important than reality!
Both Gingrich & Cheney should listen to Ron Paul and keep their fear-mongering comments to themselves! Ron Paul is more of a "statesman" than either of those two put together and also is the ONLY Republican worth his salt these days.
These Republicans kill me. Everytime you turn around they are holding up a pocket sized copy of the Constitution, but as obviously don't believe in it. We are supposed to have the strongest justice system in the world and are constantly saying how the world should be just like us, and yet their afraid to try the terrorist...get serious!
Still trying to hang on to his 15 minutes of "fame". Is there anyone who takes this guy seriously?
So apparently Newt doesn't have faith in America's legal system. What a patriot! Perhaps he'd prefer to live in Afghanistan under the Taliban. I'm sure that they profile.
And we care what this neanderthal says because............?
I have only one comment to make and that is
"HA HA HA HA HA HA HA "
The rights of Americans IS greater than the rights of terrorists.
But our system is one of presumed innocence until conviction. No one is a terrorist until convicted in a court of law.
I fail to see why there is an argument.
I would try to explain why you liberals are so wrong on this, but trying to explain constitutional law to absolute morons is difficult. Why don't you guys learn about the law and the constitution before you start talking about it. Are you afraid that if you had the knowledge, you would see your savior as the criminal that he is?
This is to be expected from ones with "community organizer" mentality who view the rich, the successful and those who have in the American system of free enterprise as eternal enemies, and the enemies of the enemies are of less priority!
God, love America again!
I believe in the Constitution, and I believe it's strong enough to handle the challenges poised by trying terrorists in our courts. Why doesn't Gingrich have the same faith and trust in our system of justice?
Just when I've almost convinced myself that Newtie is a reasonbly intelligent, rational rightwingnut, he comes out with something like this.
Thanks for the reality check, Newtie. You're still a total nutbag.
Has it occured to anyone that our foreign policy is the root cause of all this. We are a war empire. And because we flaunt our arrogance to the world, people will attack us. Get used to more personal searches and longer lines at security checkpoints in our airports. This is what you voted for America, so quit complaining!
Maybe when the next 24 terrorists with bombs bring down planes and killing THOUSANDS you liberal buffoons will get the point!
Because we didn't interrogate this PRISONER OF WAR and gain valuable intelligence that might have led us to other bombers or enablers, WE ARE IN GREATER DANGER!
But better to lawyer the terrorist up and let hundreds or thousands of innocent people get killed...