Nikki Haley: Travel ban is aimed at monitoring countries where U.S. lacks info

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said Tuesday that Afghanistan and Pakistan weren’t on the travel ban list because the government knew how to monitor people coming in and out of those countries.

“I think the travel ban was based on certain threats and more importantly, it was based on the fact that … we didn’t have enough information. The goal was always, and the goal continues to be for the president, to keep Americans safe,” Ms. Haley said on CNN.

“In those countries, we had the info that we feel like we can monitor, and we can screen, and we can make sure exactly who is coming into our country. In those other countries on the travel ban, we don’t have that, and that is not just to keep everybody out of America,” she said.

Ms. Haley also reacted to President Trump’s speech Wednesday that renewed America’s military commitment in Afghanistan. The president didn’t offer many details of what the commitment will entail, but he did say that troops would “fight to win.”

“At the end of the day, all of the generals came together, the national security team came together, and this president made some decisions. And I can tell you, the decisions he made are very different from anything that’s happened before. We’re not talking about duration because we’re not focused on time. We’re not focused on troop numbers, because we’re not focused on troop numbers,” she said.

She also said that Mr. Trump’s denouncement of bigotry at the beginning of his speech was another positive step in the wake of the Charlottesville, Virginia, protests that turned violent two weeks ago. The president came under fire for not being strong enough against the white supremacist groups that descended on the city causing the unrest.

“I had a personal conversation with the president about Charlottesville, and I will leave it at that. But I will tell you that there is no room for hate in this country,” Ms. Haley said. “I think he clarified the fact that there is no room for bigotry in our country, but he brought it home to the fact that if our troops are fighting overseas, and if they’re fighting for our freedoms, and fighting for our rights, let’s not abuse it. Because at the end of the day, we are one country.”