US spokesman compares Congress to school children over JASTA

White House Spokesman Josh Earnest on Thursday compared Congress to elementary school children for overriding US President Barack Obama’s veto of the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA).

“It’s hard to take at face value the suggestion that they were unaware of the consequences of their vote,” Earnest said during a White House press briefing.

He added: “But even if they were, what’s true in elementary school is true in the United States Congress, ignorance is not an excuse. Particularly when it comes to our national security and the safety and security of our diplomats and our service members.”

The spokesman said Obama had publicly discussed the JASTA’s potential negative impact in April. “I think what we've seen in the United States Congress is a pretty classic case of rapid onset buyer's remorse,” he said.