Yesterday, Donald Trump reacted to the tragic chemical attack in Syria by refusing to take any responsibility and acknowledge the fact that he was the President of the United States. Instead, he decided to blame the administration of former President Barack Obama for the attack, which he called an “affront to humanity.”
![](<p>One would think after the killing of Michael Brown by Officer Darren Wilson and all the national attention it got, cops in Missouri would try to stay out of the news as much as humanly possible. But, given all the civil unrest and rioting that followed the Michael Brown verdict in November, and the fact that a Missouri officer recently had <a href="http://m.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/missouri-police-officer-shot-on-the-job-has-career-ending/article_0759292b-ad34-5ecc-b15d-c4d61a1f8983.html?mobile_touch=true" target="_blank">career-ending injuries</a>, they seem to be as trigger happy as ever.</p>
<p>Yet another potential wrongful police shooting occurred yesterday after an unarmed 31-year-old man, with prior convictions and outstanding warrants, was shot and killed by police.</p>
<p>Here’s what is known so far, courtesy of local station <a href="http://www.komu.com/news/man-shot-and-killed-by-springfield-police-officer-65978/" target="_blank"><em>KOMU TV-8</em></a></p>
<blockquote><p>SPRINGFIELD (AP) – Springfield officials say a 31-year-old man who was shot and killed by a police officer during a foot chase.</p>
<p>Police said in a news release that Michael Ireland died after he was shot in the chest Tuesday evening while being pursued by officer Andrew Bath in north Springfield. The pursuit began after officers responded to a report of suspicious activity.</p>
<p>Police say at some point in the case, the officer shot Ireland once in the chest. He died at the scene.</p>
<p>On Wednesday, police said it was believed Ireland was not armed and no weapon was found at the scene. Ireland was a persistent offender and convicted felon and was wanted on municipal warrants. He was on probation and parole.</p>
<p>As standard procedure, Bath has been placed on administrative leave.</p></blockquote>
<p>It seems like “administrative leave” is the new paid vacation in police speak.</p>
<p>Not to point any fingers here since it’s still very early, but Missouri police have proven that they have about as much credibility these days as Brian Williams. For example, Jeff Roorda, the former St. Louis, Missouri police officer who demanded that the NFL <a href="http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/11/st-louis-police-officers-group-demands-rams-players-be-disciplined-for-hands-up-dont-shoot/" target="_blank">discipline the five St. Louis Rams players</a> doing a “hand up, don’t shoot” before a football game, has a history of lying in police reports. Moreover, it seems he also sponsored legislation that would shield the names of police officers from public scrutiny unless charged with a crime.</p>
<p>If any of the countless police shooting tragedies have taught us anything, it’s that police investigating police is as scrupulous as kids grading their own papers.</p>
<p><em><strong>H/T: <a href="http://m.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/police-identify-man-shot-and-killed-by-springfield-mo-officer/article_b8b0e4b7-1c2c-56f5-8eb9-bfaf4260f05d.html?mode=comments&mobile_touch=true" target="_blank">St. Louis Dispatch</a> | </strong>Featured Image courtesy<strong> <a href="http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/dailyrft/2013/12/st_louis_no_refusal_zone_warrant.php" target="_blank">RiverFrontTimes</a></strong></em></p>
<p><a href="http://www.ifyouonlynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/unnamed.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-10375" src="http://www.ifyouonlynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/unnamed.jpg" alt="unnamed" width="80" height="80" /></a> <strong>M</strong><em><strong>ichael is a comedian/VO artist/Columnist extraordinaire. Follow him on <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/mikehayne" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/michael.hayne" target="_blank">Facebook</a></strong></em></p>
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Trump also mentioned Obama’s words in 2012, stating that the former POTUS said he’d establish a “red line” that would prevent the use of chemical weapons, criticizing Obama for not delivering.
Today, Trump talked at length about this “red line” and promised he would do better – of course, without actually giving a good explanation about how he’d go about that. During a joint presser with King Abdullah of Jordan, AP reporter Julie Pace asked Trump about his anti-Obama statement on Syria. Trump criticized Obama for making a ‘blank threat’:
“I think the Obama administration had a great opportunity to solve this crisis a long time ago when he said the ‘red line in the sand.’ And when he didn’t cross that line after making the threat, I think that set us back a long ways… It was a blank threat.”
Trump, perhaps realizing that he was in the White House now, then added that “it is now my responsibility” to do something about it. Pace asked Trump if the chemical attack “crosses a red line” for him, and Trump gave a vague answer:
“It crossed a lot of lines for me. When you kill innocent children, innocent babies… with a chemical gas that is so lethal that people were shocked to hear what gas it was, that crosses many, many lines. Beyond a red line. Many, many times.”
As usual, Trump is babbling is way through answers without offering anything concrete or specific. You can watch Trump respond to the attack below:
Featured image via Pool / Getty Images
