On Thursday, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) placed the blame for the Orlando nightclub massacre, which killed 49, squarely on President Obama's shoulders. In a conversation with reporters in the Senate hallway, McCain suggested that Obama was "directly responsible" for the terror attack because his failures in the Middle East — including pulling troops from Iraq and not trying harder to intervene in Syria — had enabled the rise of the Islamic State. The Orlando gunman, Omar Mateen, allegedly pledged his allegiance to the Islamic State while carrying out the shooting.
McCain, who ran against Obama for president in 2008, made the comments as Obama visited with families and victims of the Orlando shooting Thursday. He then sent out a tweet to "clarify" his remarks:
The Arizona senator's remarks echo those of Donald Trump, who The Associated Press reports has "suggested that Obama himself might sympathize with radical elements." On Wednesday, the presumptive GOP nominee tweeted out an article that claimed Obama "'actively supported' the terrorist group that became the Islamic State."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Salted caramel and chocolate tart recipeThe Week Recommends Delicious dessert can be made with any biscuits you fancy
-
Meet Ireland’s new socialist presidentIn the Spotlight Landslide victory of former barrister and ‘outsider’ Catherine Connolly could ‘mark a turning point’ in anti-establishment politics
-
Should TV adverts reflect the nation?Talking Point Reform MP Sarah Pochin’s controversial comments on black and Asian actors in adverts expose a real divide on race and representation
-
Senate votes to kill Trump’s Brazil tariffSpeed Read Five Senate Republicans joined the Democrats in rebuking Trump’s import tax
-
Border Patrol gets scrutiny in court, gains power in ICESpeed Read Half of the new ICE directors are reportedly from DHS’s more aggressive Customs and Border Protection branch
-
Shutdown stalemate nears key pain pointsSpeed Read A federal employee union called for the Democrats to to stand down four weeks into the government standoff
-
Trump vows new tariffs on Canada over Reagan adspeed read The ad that offended the president has Ronald Reagan explaining why import taxes hurt the economy
-
NY attorney general asks public for ICE raid footageSpeed Read Rep. Dan Goldman claims ICE wrongly detained four US citizens in the Canal Street raid and held them for a whole day without charges
-
Trump’s huge ballroom to replace razed East WingSpeed Read The White House’s east wing is being torn down amid ballroom construction
-
Trump expands boat strikes to Pacific, killing 5 moreSpeed Read The US military destroyed two more alleged drug smuggling boats in international waters
-
Trump demands millions from his administrationSpeed Read The president has requested $230 million in compensation from the Justice Department for previous federal investigations
