WASHINGTON (AP) - Sen. John McCain said Thursday that President Barack Obama is "directly responsible" for the slaughter in Orlando, Florida , because it allowed the Islamic State group 's growth during his rule. However, soon after he issued a statement where he said that "he was wrong".
"I did not mean to imply that the president was personally responsible. I was referring to the national security decisions President Obama, not the president itself," said McCain in his statement, same as issued after their initial statements generated strong criticism by Democrats.
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McCain, who lost the presidential election to Obama in 2008, spoke Thursday with reporters on Capitol Hill while Obama was in Orlando visiting the families of the victims and some survivors of the attack on Sunday.
"Barack Obama is directly responsible for what happened, because when he pulled all of Iraq, Al Qaeda went to Syria, became ISIS and ISIS is what it is today because of the failures of Barack Obama, terrible failures, the get all of Iraq, "said a visibly upset McCain as the Senate debated an initiative budget.
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"So the responsibility lies with President Barack Obama and his failed policies," McCain said.
The attacker, Omar Mateen , killed 49 people and wounded more than 50 in a gay nightclub. The 29 Muslim native of New York made calls during the attack to say he was a follower of the Islamic State. But he also spoke of an affiliation with Al Qaeda and Hezbollah, who are enemies of the Islamic State.
After the slaughter, the Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, accused Obama of putting the US enemies over the Americans. The businessman also hinted that Obama himself might be a sympathizer of radical elements.