Wednesday, July 18, 2012

McCain Says Five GOP House Members Have Launched "Unfounded and Unwarranted Attack on an Honorable Citizen, a Dedicated American and a Loyal Public Servant"

Posted By on Wed, Jul 18, 2012 at 4:00 PM

Arizona Sen. John McCain today tore into five GOP House members—including Arizona Congressman Trent Franks and Congresswoman/onetime GOP presidential hopeful Michele Bachmann—for accusing an aide to Secretary of State Hilary Clinton of being a mole for the Muslim Brotherhood. NPR Reports:

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., took to the Senate floor Wednesday in an apparent attempt to shame Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., and other House GOP lawmakers who recently questioned whether a top aide to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was a fifth columnist for the Muslim Brotherhood.

McCain, the 2008 Republican presidential nominee, didn't mention Bachmann by name, but it was clear his comments were aimed at her and some House GOP colleagues who have requested an investigation of Huma Abedin, a longtime aide to Clinton, among others.

McCain's remarks, as transcribed by NPR:


Recently, it has been alleged that Huma, a Muslim American, is part of a nefarious conspiracy to harm the United States by unduly influencing U.S. foreign policy at the Department of State in favor of the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist causes. On June 13, five members of Congress wrote to the deputy inspector general of the Department of State, demanding that he begin an investigation into the possibility that Huma and other American officials are using their influence to promote the cause of the Muslim Brotherhood within the U.S. government. The information offered to support these serious allegations is based on a report, 'The Muslim Brotherhood in America,' produced by the Center for Security Policy.

To say that the accusations made in both documents are not substantiated by the evidence they offer is to be overly polite and diplomatic about it. It is far better, and more accurate, to talk straight: These allegations about Huma, and the report from which they are drawn, are nothing less than an unwarranted and unfounded attack on an honorable citizen, a dedicated American, and a loyal public servant. ...

I have every confidence in Huma's loyalty to our country, and everyone else should as well. All Americans owe Huma a debt of gratitude for her many years of superior public service. I hope these ugly and unfortunate attacks on her can be immediately brought to an end and put behind us before any further damage is done to a woman, an American, of genuine patriotism and love of country.

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