Senator John McCain said Thursday that President Obama was “directly responsible” for the Orlando terrorist attack last weekend, pointing to the administration’s policies that he says have allowed ISIS to grow into “what it is today”.
The AP reports:
McCain released a statement “clarifying” his remarks in the Capitol, saying he “misspoke” and was referring to the administration’s policies.
“I did not mean to imply that the President was personally responsible,” he said. “I was referring to President Obama’s national security decision, not the President himself. As I have said, President Obama’s decision to completely withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq in 2011 led to the rise of ISIL. I and others have long warned that the failure of the President’s policy to deny ISIL safe haven would allow the terrorist organization to inspire, plan, direct or conduct attacks on the United States and Europe as they have done in Paris, Brussels, San Bernardino and now Orlando.”
More from the AP’s original story here.
