Filling in for Bill O’Reilly on Friday, Juan Williams challenged Madea Benjamin, the founder of Code Pink, over the assertion that President Obama is a war criminal for the administration’s controversial and much criticized drone program. Throughout the interview, Benjamin asserted that drone strikes make the United States less safe because the destruction they cause pushes people towards Islamic extremism.
Referring to recent comments by Professor Cornel West where he also labeled Obama a “war criminal,” Williams asked Benjamin if she agrees with West’s characterization. Benjamin went on to argue that Obama’s drone program “terrorizes entire nations,” calling it the “best recruiting tool for extremists organizations” while exposing the U.S. to rising Islamic terrorism.
Williams continued to grill Benjamin on her position that drones threaten Americans, arguing that their purpose it defend the U.S. from dangerous terrorists. Benjamin pointed out the many documented innocent civilians killed by drone strikes, saying that every time a drone kills an innocent person, more people will side with al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups.
Benjamin then said that the United States was “using terrorism” in nations like Pakistan, where people view the U.S. as their enemy. She insisted that the drone strikes are directly resulting in more people joining al-Qaeda. Williams shot back by accusing Benjamin of trying to “blame the United States” for targeting terrorists. He added that killing terrorists actually does make the United States safer. Benjamin responded, “We’re creating more terrorists than we’re killing.”
Watch the heated exchange in the video below.
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