Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, said Thursday that President Obama was "directly responsible" for the Orlando attack, a comment he later clarified as a criticism of the president's national security policies.

The Arizona Republican told reporters at the Capitol that Obama was responsible for the Orlando terror attack that left 50 people dead in a gay nightclub, including the shooter, according to the Associated Press, before his office sent out a statement adding to his comments.

"I misspoke," he wrote in the statement. "I did not mean to imply that the President was personally responsible. I was referring to President Obama’s national security decisions, not the President himself. As I have said, President Obama’s decision to completely withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq in 2011 led to the rise of ISIL."