Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) last week called Code Pink protesters “low-life scum” as they were protesting a hearing with Henry Kissinger, and he doesn’t regret one bit of it.
On “State of the Union,” CNN’s Dana Bash asked McCain if he felt his outrage was appropriate.
“These people were physically threatening Henry Kissinger. I’m used to people popping up at these and yelling and then they’re escorted out. That’s at least some version of free speech,” McCain responded. “These people rushed up. They were right next to Henry Kissinger, waving handcuffs.”
McCain explained that why he feels people have a right to protest, he drew a line when they surrounded Kissinger during the hearing.
“Of course I was outraged, and I am still outraged. It’s one thing to stand up and protest. It’s something else to physically threaten an individual, particularly an individual who has served so much to his country,” he said.
When Bash asked McCain about his decision to call the protesters “low-life scum,” McCain seemed to think that was totally appropriate.
“I think they’re terrible people, okay? I think they’re terrible people that would do that to a 91-year-old man with a broken shoulder,” he said. “That is beyond any normal behavior that I have ever observed.”
Watch the video via CNN:
