The US senator has reportedly contradicted earlier statements by White House and labeled the ousting of former Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi as a coup thereby hinting to possible legal ramifications for American aid.
According to the Guardian, US officials so far avoided the use of the term 'military coup' as it would have direct implications on the American aid to Egypt; however Senator John McCain became the first official to characterize the overthrow as a coup.
Since 1979, successive regimes in Cairo have been beneficiaries of US military aid in kind, which works as a gift voucher to select hardware such as fighter jets and ammunition.
McCain said that the US considers the circumstances of Morsi's removal was a coup and added that what happens in Egypt in the coming weeks is very critical and will have a decisive impact on the country and the Middle East as well.
The standoff between the Egyptian army and Muslim Brotherhood is into its sixth week and a succession of envoys from the EU, African Union and US have been unsuccessful in resolving the divide between the two sides, the report added.
