Kerry finds ‘rationale’ in terror

Secretary of State John Kerry drew heavy criticism this week after he voiced a distinction between Friday’s terror attack and the January attack against the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo.

Kerry said “there’s something different about what happened from Charlie Hebdo, and I think everybody would feel that,” noting there was “a sort of particularized focus” and “rationale” behind the Charlie Hebdo attack, which was followed by a murderous assault on a Parisian kosher supermarket.

“This Friday was absolutely indiscriminate. It wasn’t to aggrieve one particular sense of wrong. It was to terrorize people. It was to attack everything that we do stand for,” Kerry told reporters before entering a meeting with French President Francois Hollande.

Many in the U.S., including lawmakers and politicians, were quick to attack Kerry for legitimizing the January attacks.

“There was absolutely nothing legitimate or rational about the slaughter of 10 newspaper staff and two police officers in Paris earlier this year,” said Rep. Edward Royce, R-Calif, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. “Freedom of the press and freedom of expression are pillars of our free world, and we can never allow radical Islamists to use these fundamental rights to justify their evil acts. Secretary Kerry is plain wrong and needs to correct the record.”

State Department spokesman John Kirby responded on Twitter, saying Kerry “didn’t justify Hebdo attacks, simply explained how terrorists tried to. As he said at time, it was a cowardly and despicable act.”

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie called Kerry’s remarks “offensive” and “truly stupid.”

Kerry “needs to get some sleep and shut up is what he needs, that’s disgraceful,” Christie said.