After a White House official mocked Sen. John McCain’s brain cancer at an internal meeting on Thursday, the Republican Senator’s wife Cindy McCain immediately responded on Twitter in defense of her husband.
The senator’s wife wrote: “@kellysadler45 May I remind you my husband has a family, 7 children and 5 grandchildren.”
@kellysadler45 May I remind you my husband has a family, 7 children and 5 grandchildren.
— Cindy McCain (@cindymccain) May 10, 2018
To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.
The White House meeting was held one day after the highly respected McCain announced that he was opposed to President Trump’s nominee for CIA director, Gina Haspel.
The White House staffer who made the derisive comments during a White House meeting on Thursday morning was Kelly Sadler.
“It doesn’t matter, he’s dying anyway,” Sadler said, according to people at the meeting. Her comments were first reported in The Hill.
The White House did not deny that Sadler’s comments were made in the meeting. “We respect Senator McCain’s service to our nation and he and his family are in our prayers during this difficult time,” the White House said in a statement to The Hill.
Sadler, however, did not respond to requests for her comments about the incident. The Hill later reported that Sadler called the John McCain’s daughter Meghan McCain and apologized to her.
Before joining the White House staff Sadler was an opinion editor for The Washington Times. Her job is to write press releases on illegal immigration.
The White House is engaged in an intense fight over Haspel’s nomination. She faces strong opposition from some senators for her association with possible torture techniques as a CIA agent after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Haspel must have the support of at least 50 senators to be confirmed, and Republicans have only a 51-49 majority in the Senate.
McCain was tortured as a prisoner of war in Vietnam and has strongly urged his colleagues in the upper chamber to oppose Haspel’s nomination. He has said that “her refusal to acknowledge torture’s immorality is disqualifying.”
“I believe the Senate should exercise its duty of advice and consent and reject this nomination, ” he added.
Haspel is the CIA’s acting director. After media reports surfaced yesterday she issued the following statement: “I have the utmost respect for Senator McCain and I appreciate the thoughtfulness with which he has approached this nomination process.”
McCain has been very critical of Trump since the beginning of his candidacy. He said he does not want the president to attend his funeral.
I am a lifelong Democrat with a passion for social justice and progressive issues. I have degrees in writing, economics and law from the University of Iowa.
