Rubio Supports Drilling, Unsure On Mirandizing Suspect
Ex-FL House Speaker Marco Rubio (R) said today that even in light of the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, U.S. oil drilling will continue.
"There is going to be drilling off the coast of the United States," Rubio told a gaggle of reporters while in DC for a fundraiser. "Venezuela's going to do it. China's going to do it. Russia's going to do it. Cuba might do it."
Rubio's support for drilling in the wake of the spill puts him at odds with two of his rivals in the FL SEN race. FL Gov. Charlie Crist (I) has doubled back on his previous support for drilling off FL's coast, telling reporters in a presser yesterday that "all bets are off." And Dem frontrunner Rep. Kendrick Meek (D), long an opponent of expanding oil drilling, launched a petition drive yesterday demanding that Crist and Rubio call for a moratorium on new drilling in the Gulf.
Rubio acknowledged the devastation in the Gulf today. "Clearly, no one wants to see this ever happen again," he said. But "I've not heard anyone say you cannot safely drill for oil, because there are thousands of rigs drilling even as we speak that are not leaking and that are not causing us ecological disaster."
"The question is, should the United States have access to all of its energy resources?" Rubio asked. "And the answer to me is 'yes.'"
Meanwhile, Rubio also said he did not know whether the suspect in a failed attempt to ignite a car bomb in New York City -- a naturalized American citizen who came from Pakistan -- should be read his Miranda rights. "It all depends on how they're going to try him," Rubio said when asked if the suspect deserced to be read his rights. "If this individual has information that could help us prevent future attacks and loss of life, nothing should stand in the way of that, including Miranda [rights]."
Today's visit marks Rubio's first visit to DC since Crist left the GOP last week to pursue his SEN bid as an indie, transforming the race into a three-way tossup.
As Crist appears to prepare to veto an abortion bill that passed the state legislature last week, Rubio said he wasn't aware of Crist's position on abortion issues.
"I don't know. It's hard to keep track of his previous positions on any issue," Rubio said. "I hardly ever have heard Gov. Crist talk about public policy."
Rubio said he had not been approached by federal authorities or FL GOP chair John Thrasher about his state party-issued credit cards. The Miami Herald/St. Petersburg Times has reported that the IRS is looking into Rubio's tax records, according to a source familiar with the inquiry.
Rubio, who is in town for a fundraiser with Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) and met with the conservative publisher Al Regnery, said he had a "brief conversation" with NRSC chair John Cornyn over the weekend, and that the 2 "agreed to talk at some point and figure out how to work together" once Rubio becomes the GOP nominee.
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