- Sen. Ted Cruz
«
Press Release from Cruz for President
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | Rick
Tyler |
News Release | Catherine
Frazier |
March 17, 2016 | |
Ted Cruz Announces National Security Coalition
Cruz: “This is the moment for all those who believe in a strong America… to come together and craft a new path forward.”
HOUSTON, Texas –
Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz announced today a
high-profile national security coalition that will advise Cruz on
foreign policy issues. The group includes such leaders as former
Senator Jim Talent, former federal prosecutor Andrew McCarthy and
former Asst. Secretary of State Elliott Abrams.
“I am honored
and humbled to have a range of respected voices willing to offer their
best advice,” Cruz said. “These are trusted friends who will form
a
core of our broader national security team. After two terms of a failed
Obama-Clinton foreign policy, our allies are confused and frightened,
and our enemies are looking for opportunities. This is the moment for
all those who believe in a strong America that is secure at home and
respected abroad to come together and craft a new path forward."
"Senator
Cruz has staked out new ground in terms of a conservative foreign
policy during his years in the Senate,” said Victoria Coates, who
serves as Senator Cruz's senior advisor for foreign policy. “He's
rejected the failed policies of the past and gotten back to a
truly principled, Reagan-esque approach to America's position in
the
world."
"Senator Cruz has consistently demonstrated his deep
commitment to Reagan's national security philosophy, underpinned by the
foundational principle of 'peace through strength'," said Chad
Sweet, former DHS and CIA official and Chairman of the Ted Cruz
for President Campaign. "The
national security experts who are endorsing him today are all
highly
respected professionals who share Senator Cruz's vision of
how we will
restore America's leadership in the world."
"Ted
Cruz is a serious candidate who has grappled with national defense
issues during his time in the Senate. His comprehensive plan to
rebuild
our military after the disastrous Obama administration Defense budget
cuts demonstrates that he's ready to be Commander in Chief on day one,”
said former Senator Jim Talent. “The Obama-Clinton foreign policy has
left our world a far more dangerous place, and I look forward to
working with Senator Cruz on policies that will keep our nation safe."
"Not
since the days before 9/11 has our threat environment been more
perilous, with jihadists on the rise, rogue states emboldened, and
allies alarmed by over seven years of American weakness,” said
former
federal prosecutor Andrew McCarthy. “As President, Ted Cruz will
restore a foreign policy that prioritizes our national interests,
unleashes our armed forces to prevail when called upon, distinguishes
vital security measures from naïve adventurism, and tells other nations
it is once again a boon to be America’s friend and a serious mistake to
be America’s enemy. President Cruz will lead from in front, with
strength and clarity."
"Senator Cruz has a perfect record of
support for Israel in the Senate, and he has made it clear that he
believes a strong Israel is America's key ally and asset in the Middle
East," said former assistant Secretary of State Elliott Abrams. "He
understands the power relationships in that region and he will put an
end to the tensions of the Obama years that have weakened the US-Israel
alliance. He is very clearly the most pro-Israel candidate in the race
today."
The following are members of Ted
Cruz's national security coalition:
Elliott Abrams was
an assistant secretary of State in the Reagan administration and a
deputy national security advisor in the George W. Bush administration;
he is a senior fellow for Middle Eastern Studies at the Council on
Foreign Relations.
Stewart Baker served as
assistant secretary for policy at DHS, as general counsel of the
National Security Agency, and as general counsel of the bipartisan
commission that investigated intelligence failures involving WMD and
Iraq.
Ilan Berman is vice president of the American
Foreign Policy Council, and an expert on Iran, Russia and radical
Islam.
Lt. General William G. “Jerry” Boykin is a
retired US Army Delta Force and Green Beret commander and the Executive
Vice President of the Family Research Council.
Fred Fleitz is senior vice president of the
Center for Security Policy and a former Central Intelligence Agency
analyst.
Randy Fort has
served in the Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush
administrations in senior positions in the intelligence community, and
is currently an executive with the Raytheon Company.
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr. is
the President and CEO of the Center for Security Policy. He acted
as
the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Policy
under President Reagan.
Nile Gardiner is a former aide to British Prime
Minister Margaret Thatcher.
Mike Gonzalez is a senior fellow at The Heritage
Foundation, a former speechwriter for the Bush Administration and
editorial writer for The Wall Street Journal.
Katharine C. Gorka is the president of the
Council on Global Security.
Steven Groves is
a Senior Research Fellow at The Heritage Foundation where he
concentrates on the protection of American sovereignty, treaties,
and
international law.
Mary Habeck is a visiting
scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, where she studies
al-Qa’ida, ISIS, and jihadi-salafism, and an adjunct professor at Johns
Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).
Kristofer L. Harrison is
a co-founder of the China Beige Book and was an official in both the
Departments of Defense and State in the George W. Bush administration.
Jerry Hendrix, a retired Navy captain, is the
principal director of the Stoneridge Group, a national security
consultancy.
Michael Ledeen is
freedom scholar at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, holds
a Ph.D. in Modern European History, and is the author of more than 35
books, including the forthcoming The Field of Fight.
Clare M. Lopez is vice president for research
& analysis at the Center for Security Policy.
Andy McCarthy is
former Chief Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New
York, led the prosecution of the "Blind Sheikh" and 11 other jihadists
for waging a terrorist war against the United States that included the
1993 World Trade Center bombing
Robert C. O’Brien is
a partner at Larson O'Brien LLP; he was a senior foreign policy advisor
to Gov. Scott Walker and Governor Mitt Romney, and was a US
Representative to the UN General Assembly.
Michael Pillsbury was
a Reagan campaign advisor in 1980, served as assistant undersecretary
of defense for policy planning under President Reagan, and is the
author of three books on China.
Charles “Cully” Stimson is
the senior legal fellow and manager of National Security Law Program at
The Heritage Foundation; he is a former deputy assistant secretary of
Defense for Detainee Affairs.
Jim Talent was a
U.S. senator from Missouri and served on the House and Senate Armed
Services Committees for twelve years; he is currently a senior fellow
specializing in military preparedness at the American Enterprise
Institute.
Daniel P. Vajdich is a senior
fellow at the Atlantic Council and was Governor Scott Walker’s deputy
foreign policy director and lead staffer for Europe and Eurasia on the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Christian Whiton was a State Department senior
advisor and deputy special envoy during the George W. Bush
administration; he is the author of Smart Power: Between
Diplomacy and War, and is a principal at DC International Advisory.
*Affiliations listed are for identification purposes only and are
not an endorsement from the named organization.
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