In an extraordinary move for a corporate Twitter account of a publicly traded firm, CEO Michael McCain of Maple Leaf Foods took over the Ontarian meat company’s account to vent about the loss of a colleague’s family in the Ukrainian plane struck by an Iranian missile. Most controversially, he blamed President Trump for the “crossfire.”
…U.S. government leaders unconstrained by checks/balances, concocted an ill-conceived plan to divert focus from political woes. The world knows Iran is a dangerous state, but the world found a path to contain it; not perfect but by most accounts it was the right direction…
— Maple Leaf Foods (@MapleLeafFoods) January 13, 2020
…The collateral damage of this irresponsible, dangerous, ill-conceived behavior? 63 Canadians needlessly lost their lives in the crossfire, including the family of one of my MLF colleagues (his wife + 11 year old son)! We are mourning and I am livid. Michael McCain.
— Maple Leaf Foods (@MapleLeafFoods) January 13, 2020
McCain, who’s clearly grieving, is righteously indignant. But his ire is misdirected. There was no “crossfire.” Iran began a missile campaign without taking the standard precautions to protect civilians. Because they started an attack, unprovoked, against Iraqi bases housing Americans without clearing their airspace, hundreds of innocent civilians died, including 63 Canadians. It was solely Iran’s fault, but, if you look at the media’s presentation of the attack, you could understand how McCain ended up where he did.
As soon as news emerged that the plane was shot down, the fatalities soon became Trump’s fault because Orange Man Bad.
On The View, Whoopi Goldberg expressly claimed that people would’ve been alive if it hadn’t been for Trump’s, not Iran’s, actions. Adam Schiff agreed, and it’s no wonder why. Overnight, the media narrative and Democratic talking points about the issue became one and the same.
Ah. I see the memo on “crossfire” has gone out. pic.twitter.com/NnAsGVzI4A
— Omri Ceren (@omriceren) January 9, 2020
Democrats ranging from presidential contenders to members of Congress absolved Trump of guilt, with Tulsi Gabbard refusing to blame Iran for shooting down the plane and Jackie Speier blaming Trump’s “escalation.” This, of course, conveniently ignores Iran escalating their own violent attacks on U.S. assets for a year prior.
Innocent civilians are now dead because they were caught in the middle of an unnecessary and unwanted military tit for tat.
My thoughts are with the families and loved ones of all 176 souls lost aboard this flight. https://t.co/zWaVgWxfdL
— Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) January 9, 2020
With the media’s blame game becoming virtually indistinguishable from that of the Democrats, it’s no wonder how disinformation has metastasized.
McCain, a billionaire heir to one of the world’s most connected food empires, is no ordinary executive behind a Twitter account, and he should have been more discriminate in his promulgation of fake news. But the damage is done, and now workers at a publicly traded firm will have to bear the brunt of their boss politicizing their entire company.
