Pataki: US Must 'Destroy ISIS' Abroad Before New 'Attack Here'

The attacks in Garland, Texas, and Chattanooga, Tennessee, "are not isolated incidents," former New York Gov. George Pataki, who is seeking the GOP presidential nomination, said Monday, calling for the United States to "destroy" the Islamic State (ISIS) "overseas before they can attack us here."

"This is a conscious strategy to attack other Americans," Pataki told Fox News' "America's Newsroom" program. "I led New York through Sept. 11, and I vowed then I would do everything in my power not to let that happen again."

Pataki also praised AT&T after it was revealed over the weekend that the telecommunications giant had been a major supplier of telephone and Internet data to the government in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.

"It was almost like AT&T were the bad guys, working with our government prying to protect us from terrorists," said Pataki. "I'm glad companies are sharing information that might be used to attack our country."

Meanwhile, Pataki said he does not want the United States to have "a 10-year war" with ISIS, but still, "we have got to first support the troops on the ground better, [and] if necessary, send even American special ops."

Pataki also spoke about Donald Trump's hold at the top of the polls, and agreed that Americans are tired of a government that doesn't work

But he said his experience as a two-term governor means that "when I say I'm going to throw out the tax code and protect jobs, before this is over people will say, 'I think he can actually do it, I'm going to vote for him.'"

Watch the video here.

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