Starbucks CEO: Giuliani's Obama Remarks 'Vicious' And 'Offensive'

(RTTNews) - Howard Schultz, the candid CEO of Starbucks, castigated former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani for casting aspersions on President Barack Obama's "love" for his country.

At a recent dinner event featuring Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, Giuliani was reported to have said that he didn't believe Obama "loves America," causing ripples in the highly charged political circle.

"I do not believe, and I know this is a horrible thing to say, but I do not believe that the president loves America. He doesn't love you. And he doesn't love me. He wasn't brought up the way you were brought up and I was brought up through love of this country," Politico had reported on Wednesday.

To make matters worse, Giuliani, in an interview with CNN on Thursday, said he believed Obama "was brought up in an atmosphere in which he was taught to be a critic of America."

Taking on Giuliani, a visibly upset Schultz said, "As an American, I find Rudy Giuliani's vicious comments about President Obama 'not loving America' to be profoundly offensive to both the President and the Office."

He called Giuliani's remarks as "yet another example of the extreme rhetoric that continues to divide our country rather than uniting us in common purpose."

Schultz is known for articulating his views on a host of political issues, although he says he doesn't have any political ambitions.

In the past, Schultz had been critical of the political logjam and urged lawmakers to "come together", and also had lambasted the Congress for the 2013 government shutdown. More recently, in December, Schultz addressed the shootings of black suspects by police offers.