US President Barack Obama (Credit: AFP/Getty Images)
President Barack Obama's claim that he and his guests at Camp David "do skeet shooting all the time" has been met with a great deal of skepticism. Well, now an anonymous source who claims to have been to the retreat a half-dozen times with the president says Obama rarely ever goes skeet shooting and when he did, he was "awkward" and "uncomfortable" for the commander-in-chief.
"The only time he shot skeet was for President's Cup," the source, who asked not to be identified, told FoxNews.com. "I was there. He stayed for about five minutes, and couldn't leave fast enough." The President's Cup is a shooting competition tradition involving the presidential Marine guards.
The source said Obama has only gone skeet shooting a couple of times at the most. It's "very hard…especially for someone not used to guns," the source added. "He couldn't have been more uncomfortable."
A friend of the source also remembered Obama skeet shooting at Camp David very early in his first term, FoxNews.com reports.
In an interview with a former staffer at The New Republic, Obama was asked if he had ever fired a gun. This is how he responded:
"Yes, in fact, up at Camp David, we do skeet shooting all the time…Not the girls, but oftentimes guests of mine go up there. And I have a profound respect for the traditions of hunting that trace back in this country for generations. And I think those who dismiss that out of hand make a big mistake."
Since making the remarks, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott and congresswoman Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) have both challenged Obama to a skeet shooting contest. Additionally, Abbott invited Obama to go hunting down in Texas as the president claims he is now a sportsman.
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney was unable to back up Obama's claim with any kind of proof.
"I'm not sure how often he's done that…because when he goes to Camp David, he goes to spend time with his family and friends and relax, not to produce photographs," Carney said.
"There may be (a photo)," he added, "but I haven't seen it.
The New Republic was actually duped by this fake photo of Obama skeet shooting, which it initially promoted as genuine. Within minutes, the site took it down and realized the mistake.
Featured image via AP
