GOP lawmaker defends campaign remarks on ISIS, immigration

Sen.-elect Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) on Sunday did not back down from comments he made on the campaign trail linking Islamic militants to drug cartels to attack Democrats on national security and immigration.

{mosads}In an October tele-town hall, the congressman said the forces with the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) could use cartels to cross the southern U.S. border and carry out attacks on American soil.

“Groups like the Islamic State collaborate with drug cartels in Mexico who have clearly shown they’re willing to expand outside the drug trade into human trafficking and potentially even terrorism,” Cotton said at the time.

“They could infiltrate our defenseless border and attack us right here in places like Arkansas,” he added.

Asked on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday whether his comments amounted to fear mongering, the 37-year-old Cotton stood by remarks.

He said ISIS members are “cutting the heads off of Americans right now,” in reference to the grizzly execution videos the terror group has posted online, adding that that is something the U.S. should be “fearful of” and “take a strong stance against.”

Cotton noted that ISIS and other terror organization have long stated that they want to conduct a terrorist attack inside the U.S., while the cartels are only interested in “power and profit” and are willing to branch out into any activity that meets those goals.

The incoming senator also slammed President Obama for announcing he would take executive action on immigration.

House Republicans are expected to convene this week to discuss ways to counter the president, including possibly choking off government funding.

Cotton said the House should vote on an immigration bill but that it hadn’t because “there weren’t enough votes going forward” for a measure that didn’t focus on “the real problems” such as border security and enforcing existing laws.