'This Week' Transcript: DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson

Homeland Security secretary interviewed on "This Week."

ByABC News
February 22, 2015, 9:28 AM

— -- Below is the rush transcript for "This Week" on February 22, 2015. It may contain errors and will be updated.

ANNOUNCER: Right now on ABC This Week, taking the fight to ISIS. The Pentagon under fire for revealing its attack plan. How the new defense secretary is responding this morning.

The Homeland Security secretary on the struggle to stop the ISIS recruiting machine.

And the American trying to keep our kids from signing up.

Shots fired: what 2016 contenders are now saying about Rudy's Obama jab.

And why is Hillary Clinton digging up dirt on herself?

Then, miracle on ice 35 years ago today, that American win we'll never forget.

From ABC News This Week with George Stephanopoulos begins now.

And as we come on the air, there is a new terror threat against the Homeland. The Mall of America in Minneapolis a target. It comes from a new video released by the terror group who carried out a deadly mall attack in Kenya. We're going to get the government's response from Homeland Security secretary Jeh Johnson after this report from ABC's senior justice correspondent Pierre Thomas. Good morning, Pierre.

PIERRE THOMAS, ABC NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, George. Those new terror threats come in a propaganda video recently released by the al Qaeda linke Somali group al Shabaab.

The video appears to call for attacks on western malls, including in the U.S., Canada and the UK.

Minnesota's Mall of America was specifically mentioned by name. This is the same terror group that claimed responsibility for a deadly attack on the Kenyan mall two years ago.

67 people were killed in that four-day siege on a Nairobi shopping center. This new threat has the attention of U.S. officials because al Shabaab has been able to successfully recruit dozens of young men from the Minneapolis area.

FBI and homeland security officials tell me they are aware of the video. The Mall of America has been contacted.

Mall officials put out a statement saying they have implemented new security precautions. Some of the measures will be noticeable, others won't be.

George, all malls throughout the country will be made aware of this threat and federal officials tell me that they've been working with malls and shopping centers for some time on just this kind of threat -- George.

STEPHANOPOULOS: OK, thanks for that. Let's get more on this now from the Homeland Security secretary Jeh Johnson. Mr. Secretary, thanks for joining us this morning. What more can you tell us about this threat against the Mall of America?

JEH JOHNSON, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: Well, George, the video that was released by al Shabaab reflects what I believe is the new phase we've evolved in terms of the global terrorist threat and what we need to do in terms of counterterrorism. Groups like ISIL, al Shabaab, AQAP are now publicly calling for attacks either through the internet, through videos, through publications, which means that we need to respond militarily, but we also have to have a whole of government approach through law enforcement, homeland security and frankly countering violent extremism efforts here in the homeland, in communities.

So I've been personally out there in places like Minneapolis, Chicago, Columbus, Ohio, L.A., Boston, meeting with community leaders, talking about the importance of public participation in our efforts.

We're in a new phase now. And I'm afraid that this most recent video release reflects that.