{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://web.archive.org/web/20141010000024/http://www.vitter.senate.gov/newsroom/press/vitter-release-isis-persecuting-christians-in-iraq-is-deplorable", "Vitter: ISIS Persecuting Christians in Iraq is Deplorable", "2014-10-08", "2014", "2014-10", "Republican", "House", "LA", "David Vitter", "V000127", "web.archive.org", null, null, "legacy", "Vitter: ISIS Persecuting Christians in Iraq is Deplorable\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tWednesday, October 8, 2014\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t(Metairie, La.) \u2013 U.S. Sen. David Vitter today made the following statement regarding ISIS militant\u2019s persecution of Christians in Iraq who won\u2019t convert to Islam. Many Christians have been fleeing Iraq, especially in areas that have been taken over by ISIS.\n\u201cMy thoughts and prayers go out to Christians standing up for their beliefs in Iraq in this ongoing struggle. People such as Bishop Canon Andrew White, who is in Baghdad, has painted a dire picture of what the Christian minority there are expecting in upcoming weeks should ISIS continue to expand. The thought of ISIS murdering people for being Christians is absolutely deplorable,\u201d Vitter said. \u201cThe Obama Administration hasn't laid out a coherent overall strategy to effectively attack these terrorists yet. I\u2019ve strongly urged him to do this and to ask Congress for a new Authorization for the Use of Military Force. I think this is constitutionally necessary since we're in a whole new country -- Syria -- and it's the right thing to do in order to properly engage Congress and the American people.\u201d\n-30-", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://web.archive.org/web/20141010000024/http://www.vitter.senate.gov/newsroom/press/vitter-release-isis-persecuting-christians-in-iraq-is-deplorable"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.6156737692654133, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}