Huntsman: Pastor’s comments ‘outrageous’
GOP 2012 presidential candidate Jon Huntsman spoke with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer today about the claim made by Rev. Robert Jeffress, that the Mormon religion is a cult. A transcript from the interview is after the jump.
Please credit all usage of the interview to CNN’s The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer
Highlight from Full Interview
THIS IS A RUSH FDCH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED
WOLF BLITZER, HOST: All right, lots to discuss, but I want to get through this Mormon issue first and foremost. Listen to Pastor Robert Jeffress, the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dallas yesterday in the pulpit. Listen to what he said about your faith.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PASTOR ROBERT JEFFRESS, FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH, DALLAS: Part of a pastor’s job is to warn his people and others about false religions. Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Mormonism are all false religions. And I stand by those statements.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: On Friday, he told the Values Voters Summit here in Washington that Mormonism is a cult.
What do you want to say to this pastor?
JON HUNTSMAN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, it’s unfortunate that one person is driving the narrative during a time when we have 15 million unemployed. We have two wars abroad. We have an uncertain position in the world. We have failing schools. We have the most important election of my lifetime in the 2012 election cycle.
The fact that, you know, some moron can stand up and make a comment like that, you know, first of all, it’s outrageous. Second of all, the fact that we are spending so much time discussing it makes it even worse. I mean you give a major foreign policy speech today, as I did, and the questions that come after the foreign policy speech are more focused on religion as opposed to our place in the world.
This does not help the American people come to terms with the choices that they’re — that they have in the 2012 election cycle.
And as far as I’m concerned, let’s stick to the big issues that really matter and leave religion off the table. Last I looked, that wasn’t a prerequisite or a requirement for the presidency.
BLITZER: Which is a fair point. And I want to get to your foreign policy, your domestic policy, in a moment.
But what do you say to some of your fellow Republican presidential candidates who don’t even acknowledge that you are, in fact, a Christian?
HUNTSMAN: Well, I don’t have any time to discuss this kind of issue. I say let’s respect religious beliefs. Let’s show a little more tolerance in terms of what people’s belief systems are.
Thomas Jefferson got it right when he spoke about tolerance for religions and the fact that they wouldn’t play a role in American politics. And here we sit, over 200 years later, spending more time than it’s worth on this very subject.
Let’s stick to the core issues that affect this nation and our position in the world and regaining our competitive core in the 21st century and leave the rest of this to the side.
BLITZER: I — I suspect — and I know you, Governor, that if one of your supporters, someone who introduced you at a major policy conference, were to say awful things about another Republican presidential candidate, you would distance yourself very, very quickly from that — from that pastor or someone else and you would run away as quickly as you can.
Are you concerned that Rick Perry, who was introduced by this pastor at the Values Voters Summit, is — is really not distancing himself, challenging, going after this pastor in a way that you probably would like him to?
HUNTSMAN: Make an immediate and decisive break, period. This kind of talk, I think, has no home in American politics these days. And, you know, anyone who is associated with somebody willing to make those comments ought to stand up and distance themselves in very bold language. And that hasn’t been done. And — and Rick ought to stand up and do that.
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