Fiorina links Obama, Clinton to Paris attacks

Associated Press

Sunday, Nov. 15, 2015 | 7:40 a.m.

The Latest from the Florida Republican Party's Sunshine Summit, where the major GOP presidential hopefuls are wooing voters and activists for their support in the state's March 15 primary. All times are local.

4:30 p.m.

Carly Fiorina says the terrorist attacks in Paris are a direct consequence of President Barack Obama and his administration's foreign policy decisions.

Fiorina said Saturday that she is angry and outraged over the attacks, mostly because Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton didn't do enough to stop the growth of the Islamic State group.

She was the last speaker at a presidential candidate summit organized by Florida's Republican Party. She used her entire time talking about the attacks and the need to fight terrorism.

She blames the Obama administration for murder, mayhem and tragedy in the Middle East, France and in the United States.

She says Obama and Clinton declared victory in Iraq for political expediency and that pulling out of Iraq allowed IS to grow.

2:45 p.m.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says the Paris terrorist attacks made him reflect on the Sept. 11 attacks in New York City and he's afraid that Americans have forgotten the fear and risk they felt afterward.

He told an audience Saturday at a presidential candidate summit organized by Florida's Republican Party that he couldn't deliver his stump speech and wander the stage and joke and have a good time as he normally does.

He said it wasn't an appropriate speech for the day after the Paris attacks. Instead, he read from notes he said he wrote down the night before.

He said the world again has seen evil visited upon innocent people and that the outrage must be turned into action and resolve.

2:15 p.m.

Republican presidential candidate Rand Paul warns that the growing national debt represents the biggest threat to America's future.

The Kentucky senator says Republicans and Democrats alike are to blame for not reining in government spending and allowing the $19 trillion debt to keep rising.

He also talked about border security, saying the Paris terror attacks are a reminder that the government must carefully screen who's coming in and out of the U.S.

He says there needs to be more scrutiny of "refugees, visitors and students" to determine whether anyone is here "to do us harm."

He says he tried to get an amendment to bolster such screening of foreigners as part of an immigration bill sponsored by Florida Sen. Marco Rubio. He says Rubio blocked it.

2 p.m.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal says the terrorist attacks in Paris serve as an example of why American borders need to be secured.

Jindal noted on Saturday that French President Francois Hollande immediately closed his nation's borders after the attacks.

He told an audience at a presidential candidate meeting organized by Florida's Republican Party that securing the U.S. border is necessary to protect people from "radical, evil terrorists."

Jindal began his remarks criticizing Donald Trump for comparing Dr. Ben Carson to a child molester at an event in Iowa on Thursday. Jindal called the comment "insane" and said there are lines that shouldn't be crossed.

He drew applause when he said there is a point at which people have to say enough is enough.

Trump was at an event in Texas on Saturday.

11:45 a.m.

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum is using the terrorist attacks in Paris to criticize Hillary Rodham Clinton and President Barack Obama.

Santorum says on Saturday that the Islamic State group is a creation of the foreign policy decisions of Clinton and Obama.

Santorum is speaking at a presidential candidate event organized by the Florida Republican Party. He says America will stand with France and pray for the country. He then adds, "and if we had better leadership, help them."

He says the world is now seeing the effects of decisions made by Obama and Clinton, the former secretary of state and Democratic presidential front-runner.

He later told reporters that IS is fighting the United States and winning because there's no plan to take land back from the group.