GOP presidential candidate Jeb Bush said Wednesday that he believes Turkey's story that it shot down a Russian warplane because it was in its airspace, but he doesn't buy Donald Trump's contention that
"thousands" of American Muslims were celebrating after the 9/11 attacks.
"I believe Turkey, but it will be verified by all sorts of ways through technology," the former Florida governor told
CNN's "New Day" correspondent Alisyn Camerota. "I think President [Barack] Obama was correct to say every country has a right to self-defense."
On Tuesday, Obama urged Turkey and Russia to communicate better, as Russia continues its military operations in Syria, near the Turkey border.
Russia could also be an ally of the United States, but first it would have to abandon alliances with Iran and Assad, Bush commented.
"That's a key element of creating a secure Syria. We're not going to be successful taking out ISIS without dealing with the Assad regime as well," said Bush.
Also on Wednesday, Bush said he doesn't believe GOP front-runner Donald Trump's claim that "thousands" of American Muslims cheered and celebrated after the 9/11 attacks.
"I know many Muslims that were just as angry and saddened by the attack on our country," Bush told Camerota. "I don't believe it."
The comments mean more than just attacks against Muslims, said Bush, they highlight Trump's way of saying things to prey on people's fears and anger at Washington.
"He's quite effective at it, but he doesn't know what he's talking about and he's not a serious leader," Bush said. "We're living in difficult times, we need serious leadership to be able to solve the problems that we have domestically and lead America around the world so that we can create peace and security for ourselves."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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