At the outset, this means controlling our borders and putting a moratorium on dangerous refugee admissions-starting with Syria. Unfortunately, as the Wall Street Journal reports, ‘After a slow start, the influx of Syrians to the U.S. has accelerated in recent months, and annual arrivals are likely to reach 10,000 by the end of September, the amount that was promised by the Obama administration’

I am the only candidate in this race who, since day one, has opposed the admission of Syrian refugees into the United States because-as even this administration admits-of the documented infiltration of the Islamic State (ISIS) into the refugee community.

Moreover, I have also been the only candidate in the 2nd district demanding an end to the financing of these Sunni terrorist groups, whether Al Qaeda or ISIS, by our so-called allies in the Arab world.

Zacarious Moussaoui, the ’20th hijacker’ detained in Minnesota weeks before 9-11, has previously implicated senior Saudi officials for their complicity in support of Osama Bin Laden in testimony from federal prison. And last week’s release of the ’28 pages’ of the Joint Inquiry Into Intelligence Community Activities Before and After the Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001 further links Saudi aid in support of global terrorism.

That’s why it is totally unacceptable that any candidate for public office should participate in the Clinton Global Initiative when its sponsor, the Clinton Foundation, has taken what has been reported from $10 to even $25 million from Saudi Arabia. I call on those candidates to repudiate their participation in the CGI.

Right now the Saudis are commencing delivery of American Apache helicopters and F-15 fighter jets as part of a $30 to $60 billion arms deal negotiated six years ago. And Qatar, another country in the region who’s been financing the radical Salafi brand of Islam tied to the perpetrator in the tragic attack in Nice, France, is set to purchase 36 F-15E Strike Eagle fighters worth about $4 billion.

In fact, last year we sold $33 billion in weapons to Gulf countries while many them have known ties to terrorist groups. This is not indicative of a country serious about stopping global jihad.

As Lloyd Cheney, deputy chair of CD2 Republicans and combat veteran in Iraq said when he endorsed my candidacy for Congress, “Rebuilding our military means giving our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines what they really need to face threats of the 21st Century rather than feeding what President Eisenhower called the ‘Military Industrial Complex.'”

Even long before the failed coup attempt in Turkey, there was ample evidence that Ankara had been facilitating the illegal trade in ISIS oil for years. Joe Biden sheepishly admitted in 2014 that in their zeal to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Turkish authorities were pouring “millions of dollars and thousands of tons of weapons into…al-Nusra and al-Qaeda and the extremist elements of jihadis coming from other parts of the world.”

And of course, the Erdogan government has long hindered the U.S. backed Kurds in their attempts to defeat ISIS in Syria and elsewhere for fear of a 14 million-strong Kurdish uprising in Turkey.

With friends like these.

It’s tempting to talk tough on just Syria, Iran or even Russia…and then go about supporting the status quo in the ‘war on terror’ which has failed to secure our borders or eliminate foreign aid and military hardware to those countries who are chiefly responsible for the tragedies in Brussels, Paris, San Bernardino, Orlando, and Nice.

Since 9-11, the Dept. of Defense estimates that over 6,800 American troops have lost their lives and over 52,000 have been wounded in action since fighting began. And though the financial cost of our efforts abroad is estimated to be anywhere from $4 to $6 trillion-it pales in comparison to the toll on American military families.

WWII lasted four long bloody years, yet after 15 years battling terrorism many Americans are justifiably frustrated. They still see attacks around the world. They see terrorists being recruited right here in Minnesota from an out of control refugee admissions program. They see our porous borders and worry about homeland security.

And they hear candidates backed by the establishment and their own bottom line advocate for special interests and so-called allies who may not have our best interests at heart and who brazenly send able-bodied refugees to America while 2nd district sons and daughters fight abroad.

None of this is to suggest we abandon key alliances in the region or around the world, but our allies must do their part and mere ‘nation building’ hasn’t worked. Our principal enemy is ISIS and we will do what it takes to defeat them.

As your congressman I will work for real security by closing our borders to terrorists, cutting off funding for terrorist organizations, and making certain that American security never takes a back seat to political correctness or financial interests. Period.”

Jason Lewis spent 25 years on the air as a voice in the conservative movement. An active Minnesota resident for two decades, he and his wife Leigh have two young daughters, Lindsey and Lauren. Jason organized the first annual tax rally that has become a tradition in St. Paul, with thousands gathering to fight to keep more of what they earn. Jason is also an author, public speaker, and started his career as a business owner running Lewis Motor Supply, a small business founded by his grandfather.

Lewis has been endorsed by Congressman Tom Emmer, the Republican Party of Minnesota, U.S. Senator Rand Paul, the Freedom Club, the Powerline Blog, State Senator Dan Hall, State Senator Karin Housley, State Senator Eric Pratt, State Senator Dave Thompson, State Representative Tony Albright, State Representative Matt Dean, State Representative Steve Drazkowski, State Representative Kelly Fenton, State Representative Jon Koznick, State Representative Kathy Lohmer, State Representative Bob Loonan, State Representative Linda Runbeck, State Representative Bob Vogel, 2014 Gubernatorial candidate Jeff Johnson, U of MN Board of Regents and former State Representative Laura Brod, South St. Paul Councilman Bill Flatley, former MNGOP Chair Bill Cooper, former Speaker Kurt Zellers, former candidate for Governor and CEO of Celcuity Brian Sullivan, 2nd Amendment advocate Dr. John Lott, 2008 national delegate and veteran Chris Andryski, retired Army Captain and Iraq War veteran Jake Duesenberg, U.S. Air Force Veteran Nathan Krogstad, United States Marine Corps Veteran Greg O’Connor and County Commander Ty Sheridan.