GOP Congressman: Obama Giving Muslims Waivers To Bypass TSA Regulations

Republican Tea Party U.S. Congressman Jeff Landry of Louisiana says that President Obama is giving Muslims “waivers” and “special rights” to bypass TSA regulations at the airport. Those are clearly false statements. Rep. Landry is a freshman Congressman, extremely anti-gay, who won in the 2010 elections, after the incumbent, three-term Congressman Charlie Melancon gave up his seat to run against Senator David Vitter.

Brian Tashman at Right Wing Watch reports:

Today on Jay Sekulow Live, Rep. Jeff Landry (R-LA) discussed with the American Center for Law and Justice’s Chief Counsel an amicus brief that the ACLJ is putting together on behalf of the congressman in the lawsuit against the Obama administration’s mandate for health insurance plans to include contraception coverage. Landry maintained that the Obama administration is showing its “hypocrisy” by mandating that religiously-affiliated hospitals and universities cover contraception in their health insurance plans while also “granting special status or waivers to Muslims as they go through TSA screenings.”

The congressman’s allegation that the Obama administration is giving Muslim passengers “special rights as they go through the TSA screening” doesn’t seem to have any basis in reality, as the TSA on its website gives no mention of religious exemptions and TSA administrator John Pistole testified that anyone who wants to avoid a pat down based on religious reasons is “not going to get on an airplane.”

Right Wing Watch has more, and the audio, on their site.

Congressman Landry on his Facebook page, last week stated, “Once again, our religious freedom is under attack by an overreaching government,” and linked to his anti-gay statement on his congressional website, “Religious Freedom Again Under Attack: Activist Judges Rule DOMA Unconstitutional.”

The entire statement reads:

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Jeff Landry (R, LA-03), an influential member of the pro-family Values Action Team, issued the following statement after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit ruled the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) unconstitutional:

“Once again, our religious freedom is under attack by an overreaching government. The liberal activist judges from the 1st Circuit are attempting to circumvent the will of the American people and redefine marriage. Today’s ruling further highlights the need for Congress to pass my co-sponsored H.R. 875 – the Marriage Protection Act of 2011 – that will protect the rights of states to preserve their own local, family values.”

The Court today cited DOMA, the law defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman, as discriminatory against married same-sex couples by denying federal benefits to them.

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Congressman Landry was one of just 46 Representatives across the country, and one of only two Congressmen from Louisiana, to be recognized as a “True Blue” Member of Congress by Family Research Council (FRC) Action and CitizenLink for his unwavering commitment and consistent support in defense of life and the family.

Wikipedia adds:

During his short tenure in congress, Landry has been known as a staunch advocate for the Oil and Natural Gas industry. He has heavily criticized President Barack Obama saying “Republicans continue to criticize the president for being anti-oil. He says that’s not true, but his actions don’t match his rhetoric.” He made national headlines by holding up a sign saying Drilling=jobs during Obama’s national jobs plan speech in September 2011. He has also stated that he only supports oil, gas, and nuclear power. He said “Until you find an alternative energy source that is economical to the consumer, those are the only three sources we should be talking about.”

When it comes to the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, he opposed the liability cap on BP while supporting the Gulf Hurricane Protection Project.