AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Attorney General and Republican gubernatorial candidate Greg Abbott called for a travel ban from countries experiencing an outbreak of the Ebola virus. The call from Abbott came during an “#AskAbbott” Twitter town hall organized by his campaign Friday afternoon. Other Republican leaders like Senator Ted Cruz and Governor Rick Perry are also calling for a travel ban from the West African countries experiencing the current Ebola outbreak. Perry reversed his prior statements and announced his support for a travel ban during a press conference Friday morning.
During the online event, where Twitter users were encouraged to ask Abbott questions about any topic, John Goodie of McKinney asked Abbott if he had “[a]ny thoughts of Obama’s new Ebola czar?” Abbott replied that the president’s announcement was “a tardy reaction to a serious issue that deserved a quicker response and a more comprehensive plan,” and added that a “[t]ravel ban is needed.”
.@JohnG00die a tardy reaction to a serious issue that deserved a quicker response and a more comprehensive plan. Travel ban is needed.
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) October 17, 2014
Abbott’s campaign also provided a longer statement to Breitbart Texas elaborating on his support for a travel ban. “The threat posed to Texans and Americans by Ebola must be taken extremely seriously at the local, state and national levels,” said Abbott. “We must take all necessary measures to treat those who have Ebola and contain the spread of this deadly disease among those who have been exposed to it. In order to prevent more Americans from exposure, I believe we must impose a ban on travel from nations currently experiencing an outbreak of Ebola.”
Follow Sarah Rumpf on Twitter at @rumpfshaker.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.