Several weeks ago, President Trump ordered a military raid in Yemen on Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which the administration declared a success given that they eliminated 14 high-value targets. Unfortunately and sadly, 23 civilians and one Navy SEAL, Ryan Owens, were also killed during the operation.
Speaking to NBC News, Senator John McCain criticized the raid, calling it a failure: “When you lose a $75 million airplane and, more importantly, an American life is lost … I don’t believe you can call it a success.” He further added “While many of the objectives of the recent raid in Yemen were met, I would not describe any operation that results in the loss of American life as a success.”
In response, both President Trump and Taya Kyle, the widow of “American Sniper” Chris Kyle, have spoken out against McCain’s comments, saying the senator owes the family of Ryan Owens an apology.
First, President Trump expressed his dismay that Senator McCain would empower our enemies by calling a military mission a failure to the media:
Sen. McCain should not be talking about the success or failure of a mission to the media. Only emboldens the enemy! He’s been losing so….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 9, 2017
…long he doesn’t know how to win anymore, just look at the mess our country is in – bogged down in conflict all over the place. Our hero..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 9, 2017
..Ryan died on a winning mission ( according to General Mattis), not a “failure.” Time for the U.S. to get smart and start winning again!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 9, 2017
In addition, during an appearance on Fox & Friends on Thursday morning, Taya Kyle said that Senator McCain owes Owens’ family an apology for calling the raid that cost their son his life a failure:
He (McCain) certainly could apologize to the family for saying it was a failure because that insinuates that his life was given for nothing and it wasn’t. They got 14 high-value targets. That’s a big deal. These guys went in and risked their lives, and they were very successful. Did everything go well? No, everything didn’t go according to plan, but it’s war.
Here’s a video of Taya Kyle’s comments:
In addition, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer told the media on Wednesday that Senator McCain was wrong to characterize the Yemeni raid as a failure: “It’s absolutely a success, and I think anyone who would suggest it’s not a success does disservice to the life of Chief Ryan Owens.”
Do you agree with both Ms. Kyle and President Trump that Senator McCain owes Owens’ family an apology over his comments? Share your thoughts below!