Marco Rubio slams CBS' Margaret Brennan's query over student protester's visa revocation: 'Watch the news'
WASHINGTON, DC: Marco Rubio lashed out at CBS’ ‘Face the Nation’ host Margaret Brennan after she asked him on what basis the visa of a student at Columbia University was revoked.
The student in question, Mahmoud Khalil, “led activities aligned to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization,” reported Mediaite, citing Homeland Security.
Khalil was arrested on March 8 in New York City for participating in protests against the war in Gaza. The Trump administration wants to deport him but the student's legal team has now accused the government of "targeted, retaliatory detention and attempted removal of a student protestor because of his constitutionally protected speech," as per NBC News.
Brennan asked the Secretary of State, “Can you substantiate any form of material support for terrorism, specifically to Hamas, from this Columbia student? Or was it simply that he was espousing a controversial political point of view?”
Marco Rubio says Mahmoud Khalil lied in his visa application
Marco Rubio replied on Sunday, March 16, “Well, not just the student, we're going to do more. In fact, we - every day now we're approving visa revocations, and if that visa led to a green card, the green card process as well and here's why, it's very simple.”
He further explained that when one applies to “enter the United States and you get a visa, you are a guest, and you're coming as a student, you're coming as a tourist, or what have you. And in it, you have to make certain assertions and if you tell us when you apply for a visa, I'm coming to the US to participate in pro-Hamas events, that runs counter to the foreign policy interest of the United States of America.”
“It's that simple. So, you lied. You came - if you had told us that you were going to do that, we never would have given you the visa. Now you're here. Now you do it. You lied to us. You're out. It's that simple. It's that straightforward,” he added.
But the 44-year-old pressed for a clearer answer as she said, “But is there any evidence of a link to terrorism, or is it just his point of view?”
Marco Rubio slams Margaret Brennan
Marco Rubio then hit back, saying, “Yeah, they take over. I mean, do you not - I mean, you should watch the news. These guys take over entire buildings…They vandalized colleges. They shut down colleges.”
But when Brennan said, “We covered it intensely,” the 53-year-old politician responded, “Well then you should know.”
The journalist continued to ask, “I’m asking about the specific justification for the revocation of his visa — was there any evidence of material support for terrorism?”
“Well, this specific individual was the spokesperson, was the negotiator - on negotiating on behalf of people that took over a campus? That vandalized buildings? Negotiating over what? That's a crime in and of itself, that they're involved in being the negotiator, the spokesperson, this that the other,” Rubio claimed.
