Rick Perry: Huckabee’s ‘Inflammatory Rhetoric’ Does Nothing to Promote Solution On Iran

REUTERS/BRIAN SNYDER
REUTERS/BRIAN SNYDER

Former Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX) has joined the chorus of critics responding to former Gov. Mike Huckabee’s (R-AR) use of a Holocause reference regarding the Iran nuclear deal, saying that Huckabee’s “inflammatory rhetoric” was getting in the way of finding an actual solution.

As Breitbart News reported, in an appearance this weekend on Breitbart News Saturday, Huckabee made a Holocaust reference in his comments about the Iran deal:

Governor Huckabee didn’t pull any punches when talking about Obama’s Iran nuclear deal: “This president’s foreign policy is the most feckless in American history. It is so naive that he would trust the Iranians. By doing so, he will take the Israelis and march them to the door of the oven. This is the most idiotic thing, this Iran deal. It should be rejected by both Democrats and Republicans in Congress and by the American people. I read the whole deal. We gave away the whole store. It’s got to be stopped.”

These comments caused an uproar, with even President Obama, while in Africa, using Huckabee’s words to attack the Republican Party as “ridiculous” and “sad.” Former Gov. Jeb Bush (R-FL), while he shared Huckabee’s strong concern urged Republicans to “tone down the rhetoric,” because “this is not the way we’re going to win elections and that’s not how we’re going to solve problems.”

Breitbart News reached out to Perry for his reaction to the controversy. The former Texas Governor has been one of the most vocal critics of Donald Trump’s rhetoric, saying that his comments made him “unfit to be Commander-in-Chief” and a “cancer on conservatism,” and he had a similar critique of Huckabee’s use of a Holocaust reference.

In a statement provided to Breitbart News, Perry said:

Inflammatory rhetoric – whether with regard to the Iran deal, border security or any other issue – only serves to distract from the real challenge that we are facing. Rather than talking about what we need to do to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon and protecting our interests and those of Israel, the focus has shifted to analyzing an inappropriate comment. This does nothing to promote a solution, and is harmful to having a thoughtful debate about this very serious issue.

Follow Sarah Rumpf on Twitter @rumpfshaker.

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