Above Photo: Former U.S. Congressman and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta speaks on the third day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. July 27, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Segar – RTSJZPJ(Credit: Reuters)
Note: The Institute for Public Accuracy summarizes the No More War Protests at the DNC writing: McClatchy reports in “Protestors drown out former CIA director at Democratic convention” that: “Former CIA Director Leon Panetta was giving a … speech in support of Hillary Clinton when the crowd erupted. “Chants of ‘no more war,’ ‘lies’ and ‘USA’ broke out at the Democratic National Convention, interrupting Panetta several times before he finished his speech.” See videos. “USA!” chants were used to drown out anti-war chants. The Washington Post lists Panetta as a “loser” in its roundup: “Unfortunately for Panetta, his speech came the moment when the most committed Bernie Sanders supporters decided to make a statement; a chant of ‘no more war’ broke out on the convention floor, forcing Panetta to pause during his speech.”
The former CIA director and defense secretary was repeatedly interrupted with boos and chants of “Lies!”
Former CIA Director and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta’s address to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on Wednesday was met with loud boos and chants of “No more war!” and “Lies!” from the delegation.
Panetta, who headed the CIA and Department of Defense under President Obama, called Hillary Clinton “the single most experienced and prepared person who has ever run for President of the United States,” but was interrupted by the unruly crowd repeatedly during his speech.
Crowd chants “USA,” “no more wars,” “lies” interrupt Panetta’s DNC speech https://t.co/H9n7JJUntx #DemsInPhilly https://t.co/0Uv5GIWs93
— CBS News (@CBSNews) July 28, 2016
Chants of “No more war!” from anti-Panetta delegates were countered with chants of “USA!” from attendees sympathetic to the former CIA director and defense secretary, who has drawn criticism for his handling of drone strikes and classified information, among other controversies.
Panetta’s speech responded critically to comments Donald Trump made at a press conference Wednesday morning calling on Russia to release emails potentially hacked from Hillary Clinton’s private server. “Think about that for a moment,” Panetta said. “Donald Trump, who wants to be President of the United States, is asking one of our adversaries to engage in hacking or intelligence efforts against the United States to affect an election.”