During an appearance on CNN Tuesday, Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum weighed in on his fellow contender Donald Trump’s remarks regarding former President George W. Bush’s involvement in 9/11.
The former Pennsylvania senator said that he and everyone in public office at the time bears responsibility for the attack, but to say that it was a “mistake” to go to war with radical Islam following that horrific event would also be a error in judgment.
“When he said that the president bears responsibility, I was in the United States Senate at the time,” said Santorum.
“I bear responsibility. I take responsibility for things that happen on our watch.”
He went on, “Everyone at that time understands that things should have been done differently. It was a new type of attack. It was a new type of war that we clearly were not prepared for…
“What we did do is connect the dots and attacked Afghanistan because that’s where the threat was coming from. And to suggest that somehow we shouldn’t have done – that that was a mistake – I think is a mistake."
“I think we absolutely needed to take care and respond to radical Islam after it attacked us,” Santorum argued.
For the rest of his remarks, check out the short video clip below.