McCain Doesn’t Regret Calling Protesters ‘Low-Life Scum’ (VIDEO)

Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

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:

Latest Livewire

Notable Replies

  1. Avatar for korvu korvu says:

    Wonder what McCain thought of the buffer zones in Boston (struck down by SCOTUS).

  2. Avatar for azjude azjude says:

    You old worthless fool.

    It is embarrassing to be an Arizonan!

    And NO, I did not vote for this old has-been!

    It is sickening what a sore loser he continues to be!! I am so glad President Obama cleaned his clock in the 2008 presidential election! Now, if we can just get a good strong dem or indy to kick this guy to the curb, once and for all.

  3. Not surprised. Other things McCain doesn’t regret:

    Singing a rendition of that classic song, “Bomb, bomb Iran” on the campaign trail;
    Saying “the fundamentals of our economy are strong” on the campaign trail as the economy began to go belly-up;
    Calling Barack Obama “That one” at a campaign event;
    Pronouncing Iraq safe while he walked through its streets with a heavy security detail;
    Being photographed with a Syrian rebel who would later be identified as a member of ISIS;
    and the ever-popular,
    Selecting Sarah Palin as his running mate.

  4. Avatar for jinnj jinnj says:

    So Senator, if a group of screaming Anti-Abortion protesters - crowd & surround & terrify a woman trying to walk into a woman’s health clinic, if they get mere inches from her face and shout ‘whore - whore- whore’ ‘murderer’ and other more deranged hateful things - and make her frightened for her physical well being …are they scum? … Senator we can’t hear you … please speak up.

  5. “I’m a grumpy old man – I just gotta be me!”

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

27 more replies

Participants

Avatar for system1 Avatar for afblac Avatar for leftflank Avatar for wial Avatar for 1gg Avatar for trippin Avatar for KenR4th Avatar for randyabraham Avatar for labman57 Avatar for anouthouse Avatar for noparty Avatar for jimellis Avatar for taters Avatar for korvu Avatar for stanleyyelnatsdotcom Avatar for richardinsanjo Avatar for ronbyers Avatar for pine Avatar for azjude Avatar for darrtown Avatar for jinmichigan Avatar for meta Avatar for dommyluc Avatar for footballbat

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: