Former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg implicitly blamed President Donald Trump Thursday after reports indicated that Iran shot down a Ukrainian plane shortly after their military strike against the United States.
Buttigieg wrote on Twitter:
Innocent civilians are now dead because they were caught in the middle of an unnecessary and unwanted military tit for tat. My thoughts are with the families and loved ones of all 176 souls lost aboard this flight.
American officials noted Thursday that Iran likely fired two missiles at the Ukranian flight that took off from Tehran just hours after the strike. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed the reports, but said the attack “may well have been unintentional.”
While Buttigieg did not explicitly blame Trump, he criticized the president’s “unnecessary” strike in Iran killing Iranian Quds Force Commander Qasem Soleimani for prompting Iran’s decision to launch a missile strike against U.S. targets in Iraq.
“Taking out a bad guy is not a good idea unless you are ready for what comes next,” Buttigieg said in response to Trump’s order, warning that it was extremely provocative.”
After Iran launched over a dozen missiles at two United States military sites in Iraq, President Trump did not order any retaliatory actions or strikes.
Buttigieg’s comment drew a rebuke from Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR).
“Pete Buttigieg charges out to lead the blame-America-first brigade,” he wrote. “Sad, not surprising.”