Paul Ryan on the Issues: Congressman Talks Ferguson, Immigration, ISIS and Hillary Clinton's Presidential Bid
Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., has been making the media rounds and spoke about ongoing issues including immigration, the terrorist group Islamic State, the 2016 elections and the events in Ferguson, Missouri.
Michael Brown and Ferguson Protests
Ryan says he does not want people to rush to judgment on 18-year-old Michael Brown's death at the hands of white Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson.
"We should take a deep breath, sit back and let law enforcement do their job," Ryan said during a radio interview with SiriusXM's David Webb. "Let the investigation take place so that the facts can be taken as the facts, and let justice be done appropriately."
As Latin Post reported, President Barack Obama has tasked the Department of Justice with launching an independent investigation into Brown's death and the subsequent response to protests by the Ferguson Police Department. Attorney General Eric Holder arrived in Ferguson to meet with community leaders and local law enforcement on Wednesday.
Immigration
Ryan said he supports providing legal status to 11.7 million undocumented workers, but only if an "independent third party" verified border security and enforcement conditions.
Ryan, however, said there are problems within the Republican Party when addressing immigration reform. Ryan and fellow House Republicans voted to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) on Aug. 1, a program created by Obama's executive action in 2012. That bill has virtually no chance of becoming law.
"Our party needs to reform itself to be a more inclusive party and to be more competitive with non-traditional voters, which I think is absolutely essential going forward," Ryan said.
Ryan emphasized undocumented immigrants should "earn" their citizenship and have the ability to "indefinitely" renew their work permits.
ISIS
Ryan wants the Obama administration to launch more airstrikes against ISIS and told Bloomberg Television, "I do believe that probably more of a robust air campaign is called for."
Ryan also criticized the administration for not having an agreement with Baghdad to have U.S. troop presence in the country, adding that Obama should not made the same mistakes made in Afghanistan.
2016 Elections
Ryan hopes his 2012 presidential running mate Mitt Romney runs again in 2016. During an interview on CNBC's "Squawk Box" to promote his new book "The Way Forward: Renewing the American Idea," Ryan said he would "love to see" Romney launch another presidential bid. Ryan, however, said he'd decide next year if he would launch his own.
"[Romney's] pretty emphatic he's not going to," Ryan said, adding he will not wait for the former Massachusetts governor to make a decision on a bid before deciding for himself.
In regards to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Ryan said she would be a formidable presidential candidate, but warned that Obama could be a liability, stating, "I don't think people are going to want to have an Obama third term, and no matter how she tries to shake that label, she won't be able to."
Ryan told USA Today that Clinton's record with Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Russia was "abysmal."
"I'm thinking about the foreign policy that was created in the first four years of the Obama administration that now have manifested in the second term, and we're now seeing as a result of this foreign policy America losing its standing in the world and Americans becoming less prosperous and less secure as a result of that," Ryan said.
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