U.S. senators on both sides of the aisle rushed Wednesday to condemn the terror attack in Paris.
South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham called the attack, which has left 12 people dead and dozens more injured at the offices of French satirical weekly magazine Charlie Hebdo, “horrendous.”
Graham, who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, also cited the attack as an “opportunity to reevaluate our own national security posture,” since he fears “we can expect and must prepare for more attacks like this in the future.”
Texas Republican Ted Cruz wrote on his Facebook page that the U.S. “stands in solidarity with our long-standing NATO ally France in this ongoing battle with radical Islamic terrorism.”
Florida Republican Marco Rubio said the attack targeted “the fundamental human right of free speech and expression.”
“These terrorists don’t hate cartoons, they hate freedom,” he said in a statement. “They’re willing to target anyone and destroy anything in the name of intimidating free people and spreading their cruel and hateful dogmas. It is important for the United States — and free nations everywhere — to oppose these forces with strength and vigilance.”
Connecticut Democratic Chris Murphy echoed Rubio’s thoughts, calling the attack “cowardly” and “a strike at the most fundamental ideals of freedom and democracy.”
Finally, New Jersey Democrat Bob Menendez said the terrorist strike “is an attack against our values and our freedoms.”
