Republican presidential hopeful Ben Carson appeared on Newsmax TV yesterday, where he criticized President Obama’s handling of the fight over Department of Homeland Security funding.

While Democrats and some Republicans want to pass a clean funding bill for the department, many conservatives, including Carson, want to use the DHS legislation to block the president’s executive actions on immigration. Carson told host J.D. Hayworth, a former Republican congressman, that if Obama decides to “stand in the way, particularly to things that are vital to the security of this country, then I think we can start talking about treason.”

“If things are done that are contrary to the security of this country, whoever does them is guilty of treason,” Carson said.