U.S. Senator Bob Corker says his visit to the mid-east has reinforced his opinion that Al-Qaeda remains a serious threat to the United States and other countries.
The senator met with WDEF News 12 for a wide-ranging interview.
Bob Corker was back in his hometown , just a few hours after his return from the mid-east.
As a member of the Senate Foreign Relations committee he met with leaders there to discuss the so-called "Arab Spring" and especially the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya that killed four Americans.
He also had some comments on the local economy.
SEN. BOB CORKER, (R) TENNESSEE "I don't think there was any question and the State department I think last night has made it very clear from the beginning they knew this was a terrorist attack . This whole thing has been a little strange to say the least."
Republicans say they are now convinced the Libya attack had nothing to do with an anti-muslim film produced in California.
As leaders in Washington held hearings on the Benghazi attack, the senator focused more on the broader purpose of his trip.
SEN. BOB CORKER " This is a very fragile time in the middle-east in general . And on top of that with the things that are occuring there, its created a vacuum place for many of these terrorists and extremists organizations really to wreak havoc..everybody's antennae is up."
Moving to matters closer to home, Corker says the political climate in this country had nothing to do with the Audi plant going to Mexico instead of Enterprise South as some expected. He says Mexico has trade agreements with other countries that trumped a U-S. Built car. But the senator does predict more development at the Chattanooga Volkswagen site.
SEN. BOB CORKER "I still believe that in the very near future this entire facility , this entire land out at Enterprise South is going to be used by them."
And on a subject that concerns individuals and businesses around the country---a political consensus in Washington after the election.
SEN. BOB CORKER "I do believe in the near future there's going to be a coming together around this issue and I think we're going to be able to put it behind us and when we do I think we're going to be able to focus on the greatness of this nation and not this internal squabbling."
