The Republican National Committee (RNC) is channeling criticism of President Obama’s foreign policy to urge voters to “keep terrorists off U.S. soil.”
{mosads}In its newest ad, the RNC notes recent advances by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and the first confirmed cases of Ebola in the U.S.
“What’s President Obama doing? Making plans to bring terrorists from Guantanamo to our country,” a voice says in the ad, citing a report in The Wall Street Journal earlier this month that suggested Obama is weighing executive action on the issue.
The White House questioned the report at the time, though spokesman Eric Schultz did not rule out the potential for Obama to bypass Congress by closing the prison, a suggestion that has angered many Republicans.
“Nov. 4, Obama’s policies are on the ballot,” a voice in the ad says. “Vote to keep terrorists off U.S. soil. Vote Republican.”
“Seriously? Did they have Saturday Night Live produce this ad, because it’s a joke,” Michael Czin, spokesman for the Democratic National Committee, wrote in an email, charging that the ad was meant to “scare voters.”
“It’s a sad commentary on the state of the GOP that with a week left this is their closing message,” he said.
—This report was updated at 10:51 a.m.