Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) criticized President Donald Trump in a tweet on Monday for failing to make human rights a priority during his meeting with Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte.
The White House said the two leaders "briefly" talked about human rights in the context of Duterte's crackdown on drugs, but the Philippine president's spokesman said the issue was not discussed, The Hill reported.
Duterte has carried out a "war on drugs" since taking office last year, which has led to thousands of killings of suspected drug dealers and users, according to Human Rights Watch.
Trump also praised Duterte at an Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit, saying the two have had "a great relationship." According to a reporter traveling with Trump, the president laughed when Duterte referred to members of the press as "spies."
Earlier in his presidency, Trump also was criticized for extending a personal invitation to Duterte to the White House after a "very friendly" phone call, NBC News reported.
McCain, who was captured and tortured by the North Vietnamese during the Vietnam War, also slammed Trump on Saturday for ignoring human rights violations during his stop in Danang, Vietnam.
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