- Hillary Clinton stated during an interview that the U.S. has "let down our guard on counterterrorism."
- Clinton emphasized that the U.S. is not paying enough attention to resurgent terrorist actions, stating she is not trying to scare or exaggerate.
- Clinton criticized the focus on building a ballroom over gathering intelligence from Afghanistan, calling it "absolutely contrary to any kind of sensible decision-making."
- Clinton noted that the U.S. no longer has the same level of visibility in critical regions as it once did.
- Clinton remarked that the threat did not go away but receded, stating it is still present with many thousands of extremists wishing the U.S. ill.
Hillary Clinton expressed deep concern over the U.S. counterterrorism posture during an interview at the VOICES 25th Anniversary Symposium, stating, “I worry a lot that we’ve let down our guard on counterterrorism.” She highlighted that while the threat has receded since the 9/11 attacks, it has not disappeared.1
Clinton emphasized the need for vigilance, saying, “I don’t say this to scare anybody or to exaggerate, but I think we are not paying enough attention to resurgent terrorist actions.” She criticized current priorities, noting, “When you’re more interested in building your ballroom than figuring out what the intelligence is coming out of Afghanistan — that is absolutely contrary to any kind of sensible decision-making.”2
Furthermore, she pointed out that the U.S. lacks the same level of visibility in critical regions as it once did, which could hinder effective counterterrorism efforts.
Clinton concluded with a stark reminder that “the threat did not go away — it receded — but it is still there, and there are still many thousands of extremists in the world who wish us a great deal of ill.”5
“Clinton criticized a focus on building a ballroom over intelligence from Afghanistan, calling it 'absolutely contrary to any kind of sensible decision-making.' She also noted the U.S. no longer has the same visibility in critical regions, with many thousands of extremists still wishing the country ill.”
