The White House was memorably and mercilessly criticized by the media for largely skipping out on the Paris unity march earlier this month. Some 40 heads of state both gave up their weekends and left their home countries to show their support -- including British Prime Minister David Cameron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to name just a few. Thus, the absence of President Obama (or someone with greater visibility than our French ambassador) was all the more bizarre and evident. But the reason why President Obama didn’t bother showing up, or sending someone with high-ranking credentials from his administration in his stead, is only now becoming clear.
Today, White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough essentially took full responsibility for the controversy, going as far as to say that the American government's much-noticed absence...“rests on me.” Watch the full clip below:
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