Sen. Cornyn sees Ft. Hood as terrorism

WASHINGTON (KXAN) - U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, wrote to the president expressing his concern about the administration's reluctance to call the Fort Hood mass shootings a terrorist attack.

"As more and more facts surrounding the Fort Hood attack surface, it looks increasingly probable that the alleged attacker, Major Nidal Hasan, heeded these terrorist calls to violence, compelled by a fanatical religious ideology," said Sen. Cornyn. "If Islamist terrorism was the driving force behind the senseless violence at Fort Hood, as it seems to be, this attack must serve as a call to action for the federal government."

After the tragic events, President Obama urged people to not pass judgments before the full investigation is finished.

"I would ask all Americans to keep the men and women of Fort Hood in your thoughts and prayers," said President Obama after hearing about the shootings at Fort Hood. "We will make sure that we get answers to every single question about this horrible incident. And I want all of you to know that as Commander-in-Chief, there's no greater honor but also no greater responsibility for me than to make sure that the extraordinary men and women in uniform are properly cared for and that their safety and security when they are at home is provided for. So we are going to stay on this."

Sen. Cornyn reaffirmed the importance of the federal investigation in his letter, but also accused the president of bringing politics into the investigation.

"Evidence indicating that terrorist activity may be in the offing must always be run to ground; federal agencies must follow every lead and look into every possible threat, regardless of whose particular sensitivities might be offended in the process," said Sen. Cornyn in his letter. "We must never allow the safety of those who defend our freedom to be made a secondary priority to political correctness."

The president made sure to stress at the memorial service on Nov. 10 that despite reserving judgment, that it is difficult to fully understand what happened on Nov. 5 at Fort Hood.

"It may be hard to comprehend the twisted logic that led to this tragedy," said President Obama at the memorial service on Nov. 10. "But this much we do know – no faith justifies these murderous and craven acts; no just and loving God looks upon them with favor. And for what he has done, we know that the killer will be met with justice – in this world, and the next."