Cornyn apologizes for calling India a threat

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), the founder and co-chairman of the Senate India Caucus, is apologizing after listing the U.S. ally as an emerging threat.

In talking about the need to continue the F-22 program that is currently being shut down, Cornyn appeared to mistakenly insert India in the place of China, saying it had “increased exercise of their military power.”

“It’s important to our national security because we’re not just fighting wars in Afghanistan and Iraq,” he said, according to reports. “We have graver threats and greater threats than that, from a rising India, with increased exercise of their military power; Russia, Iran, that’s threatening to build a nuclear weapon; with North Korea, shooting intercontinental ballistic missiles, capable of hitting American soil.”

The video was posted online but has since been removed.

Cornyn spokesman Kevin McLaughlin said the senator misspoke.

“Sen. Cornyn misspoke saying ‘India’ when he meant to say ‘China,'” McLaughlin said. “As founder and co-chairman of the Senate India Caucus, no senator has greater respect or admiration for India or values our relationship with (it) more. Sen. Cornyn regrets the mistake and apologizes for any misunderstanding this may have caused.”