ABC "This Week" - Transcript: ISIS

Interview

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STEPHANOPOULOS: OK, I want you all to stand by here.

Right now, let's bring Congressman Michael McCaul, the chair of the House Homeland Security.

Chair -- Mr. Chairman, thank you for joining us this morning.

REP. MICHAEL MCCAUL (R-TX), CHAIRMAN, HOMELAND SECURITY COMMITTEE: Thanks, George.

STEPHANOPOULOS: You've seen the intelligence.

Do you believe that ISIS poses the kind of threat that General Allen just talked about?

And do you support what he's calling for?

MCCAUL: Well, I do think they present the greatest threat we've seen since 9/11. This has been festering for the last year and now it's culminating with the killing and the beheading of an American journalist, which I think is a turning point. The American people -- it has sort of opened their eyes to what ISIS really is, the true character of ISIS, how savage they really are and -- and their intent to harm Americans.

And -- and not just in my words, but their words, "We'll drown Americans in their own blood. We'll raise the black flag of al Qaeda over the White House."

So they are very intent on not only establishing the caliphate in Syria and Iraq, but expanding that to external operations not only in Europe, but they would love more than nothing else to hit the United States of America.

STEPHANOPOULOS: And, Congressman, if -- if you get the kind of expansion you and General Allen then are talking about, won't that require a new authorization from Congress?

The 2001 authorization targeted al Qaeda, not ISIS. It would be a real stretch to put this under the Iraq authorization of 2002.

So won't Congress have to act here?

MCCAUL: We believe that the administration should be in consultation with Congress. So far, they have, under The War Powers Act. But once that period of time expires, we believe it's necessary to come back to the Congress to get additional authorities and to update, if you will, the authored use of military force.

With respect to General Allen's comments on regional strategy, I -- I whole-heartedly agree. I believe that America, the United States shouldn't bear this burden alone. We have regional allies, both Muslim allies and European allies, that can bring a lot of pressure on ISIS. And I don't think you're going to -- you're going to win this with a containment policy alone. This administration thus far has only dealt with containment. We need to expand these air strikes so that we can ultimately defeat and eliminate ISIS, because I would far prefer to eliminate them over here than have to deal with them...

STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, that...

MCCAUL: -- in the United States.

STEPHANOPOULOS: -- that's the question. how serious a threat do they actually pose to the homeland right now?

MCCAUL: Their focus right now is establishing the caliphate. But don't kid yourself for a second, they aren't intent on hitting the West. And there are external operations, I believe, underway. And the biggest threat, George, is this. You look Afghanistan and Pakistan, this is very accessible. We have tens of thousands of foreign fighters from all over the world pouring into this safe haven that's now been established, including hundreds of Americans with Western passports and legal travel documents, which would enable them not only to travel to Western Europe, but to the United States.

And then you couple that with their now newly formed alliance, announced a couple of days ago, with AQAP in Yemen, which is the premier al Qaeda bomb maker, now you have a threat to airplanes blowing up and also the traditional sort of Times Square bomber that we saw in New York.

So I believe the threat is very real. I think the FBI and Homeland Security officials believe it's real. That's why they went out a be on the lookout to state and locals for suspicious activity...

STEPHANOPOULOS: OK...

MCCAUL: -- and particularly on social media, which they're very adept at doing.

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