Ryan blames 'absentmindedness' for anthem gaffe

YOUNGSTOWN — In response to criticism that he didn’t put his hand over his heart during the national anthem at Tuesday’s debate, the presidential campaign of U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan said today the candidate had “a moment of absentmindedness while on a debate stage that won’t happen again.”

The campaign said “Ryan wasn’t protesting and didn’t mean to make any statement last night in Detroit.”

It added that Ryan was singing with the choir “to honor our country. Congressman Ryan loves our country and will continue to honor the flag during the anthem at future events as he has in countless events in the past.”

Ryan received criticism for being the only candidate to not put his hand over his heart during the anthem. Instead, Ryan folded his hands in front of him.

He told The Vindicator after the debate: “I’ve given my entire adult life to public service in our country and if you think that you can judge how much I love my country based on whether I put my hand on my heart tonight, it shows you don’t know what patriotism is or what that flag stands for.”