McCain: ‘There’s Going To Be Hell To Pay’ If Separatists Shot Down Airliner

U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., speaks to workers at MD Helicopters, Friday, May 30, 2014, in Mesa, Ariz. McCain addressed numerous issues, including the ongoing VA situation, in the town hall style meeting. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said Thursday that “there’s going to be hell to pay” if it is determined that either Russia or pro-Russian separatists shot down a Malaysia Airlines passenger plane flying over Eastern Ukraine.

Cautioning that he didn’t want to draw conclusions until more information was available, McCain told MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell that there has been a pattern of pro-Russian forces already shooting down several Ukrainian aircraft.

“This was an airliner headed towards Russian air space,” the Arizona Republican said. “And it has the earmarks — and I’m not concluding — but it has the earmarks of a mistaken identification of an aircraft that they may have believed was Ukrainian. If that’s true, this is a horrible tragedy event which was certainly unanticipated by anybody, no matter who they are.”

McCain added that the event had all the makings of a “tragic mistake” that would carry incalculable repercussions for those responsible.

“If it is the result of either separatist or Russian actions mistakenly believing that this was a Ukrainian war plane, I think there’s going to be hell to pay,” he said. “And there should be.”

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  1. STFU, you bitter angry old poseur.

  2. Nasty little warmonger.

  3. I think he was referring to Obama.

  4. And there you have it, the opinion of one cranky old man who doesn’t know a goddamn thing about what really happened any more than anyone else does. Valuable addition to the coverage we’re all quite sure.

  5. After his statement the Arizona senator kicked a cat across the lawn.

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