Tag: John McCain

Trump again takes aim at John McCain over dossier, prompting rebuke from Meghan McCain

President Trump is again training his fire on the late senator John McCain, nearly seven months after the Arizona Republican’s death from brain cancer.

Trump’s tweets over the weekend prompted a rebuke from the senator’s daughter Meghan McCain and from some lawmakers.

On Saturday, Trump quoted former independent counsel Ken Starr, who criticized McCain on a recent Fox News show. In the segment, Starr referred to reports that a McCain ally had shared with the media parts of a dossier that allegedly included information linking Trump to the Russian government.

Trump piled on in his Saturday night tweet, criticizing McCain — as he has repeatedly done on the campaign trail and in interviews — for his vote against repealing the Affordable Care Act in 2017.

View the complete March 17 article by Felicia Sonmez on The Washington Post website here.

GOP senator defends segregationist: It’s just ‘one issue’

The following article by Oliver Willis was posted on the ShareBlue.com website August 29, 2018:

David Perdue opposes renaming the Russell Senate building after late Sen. John McCain, despite Russell’s history of racism and pro-segregation activism.

Sen. David Perdue (R-GA) speaking at the Turning Point High School Leadership Summit in Washington, DC Credit:  Michael Brochstein, Sipa USA via AP Images

Sen. David Perdue (R-GA) is opposing the effort to rename the Russell Senate Office building after the late Senator John McCain, and minimized the pro-segregation legacy of the building’s current namesake, Sen. Richard Russell Jr. (R-GA).

On Tuesday, Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) proposed the building be renamed after McCain, noting Russell was “an avowed opponent of civil rights and the architect of the Southern filibuster that long delayed its passage.”

In response, Sen. Perdue told reporters he does not want the segregationist’s name removed. In his remarks, Perdue reduced Russell’s support for white supremacy to just “one issue.”

GOP eyes another shot at ObamaCare repeal after McCain’s death

The following article by Alexander Bolton was posted on the Hill website August 29, 2018:

Senate Republicans say they would like Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) to appoint a successor to the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) who, unlike McCain, would support GOP legislation to repeal ObamaCare.

Republican lawmakers say they won’t have time to hold another vote to repeal the law in 2018 but vow to try again next year if they manage to keep their Senate and House majorities.

“If we re-engage in that discussion in some point in the future, it would be nice to have members who enable us to pass it,” Senate Republican Conference Chairman John Thune (S.D.) said when asked about the possibility of ObamaCare repeal legislation coming up for a future vote.

View the complete article here.

“Trump is nuts. This time really feels different”: Trump rejects “war council” intervention, goes it alone

The following article by Gabriel Sherman was posted on the Vanity Fair website August 27, 2018:

With his closest allies defecting, the president increasingly trusts only his instincts. He “got joy” from stripping former C.I.A. director John Brennan’s security clearance. And after betrayals by Allen Weisselberg and David Pecker, a former White House official says, Trump “spent the weekend calling people and screaming.”

After Michael Cohen’s plea deal last week, Donald Trump spiraled out of control, firing wildly in all directions. He railed against “flippers” in a rambling Fox & Friends interview, and lashed out on Twitter at Attorney General Jeff Sessions, the Justice Department, and Robert Mueller. In the wake of his outbursts, White House officials have discussed whether Trump would listen to his closest New York City friends in an effort to rein him in. Two sources briefed on the matter told me that senior officials talked about inviting Rudy Giuliani and a group of Trump’s New York real-estate friends including Tom Barrack, Richard LeFrak, and Howard Lorber to the White House to stage an “intervention” last week. “It was supposed to be a war council,” one source explained. But Trump refused to take the meeting, sources said. “You know Trump—he hates being lectured to,” the source added. (Spokespeople for LeFrak and Lorber say they have no knowledge of a meeting. A spokesperson for Barrack didn’t comment.) Continue reading ““Trump is nuts. This time really feels different”: Trump rejects “war council” intervention, goes it alone”

The ‘Maverick’ and the ‘Lion’

The following column by Tom Perez was posted on the ABC News website August 28, 2018:

Sen. Ted Kennedy jokingly holds the Profile in Courage award as if he intends to keep it, as co-winner, Sen. John McCain, right, reacts during a ceremony at the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston, May 24, 1999. Credit: Elise Amandola, AP, file

My former boss, Ted Kennedy, died nine years to the day before Sen. John McCain passed away of the same disease. The two were famously close friends —— lawmakers who rose above the petty resentments of party tribalism to respect and love one another based on their shared passion for public service.

Ted Kennedy is not here today to honor his dear friend in the same way that Sen. McCain honored him when he passed away. But as chair of the Democratic Party, I want to take the opportunity to honor Sen. McCain. Not because I agreed with every policy position he took, but because, like Senator Kennedy, he was guided by a loyalty to public service and the American people.

When I was nominated to serve as President Obama’s labor secretary in 2013, Democrats controlled the U.S. Senate by a slim margin. I needed every Democrat and six Republicans to vote in the affirmative to clear the cloture hurdle before I could be confirmed. The rift between left and right seemed insurmountable. But then, there was always John McCain.

View the complete article here.

McCain’s death marks decline of Trump’s GOP Senate critics

The following article by Jordain Carney was posted on the Hill website August 28, 2018:

Sen. John McCain, R-AZ. at the Capitol Credit: Bill O’Leary, Washington Post)

Senate Republicans willing to counter President Trump on defense and national security are becoming a rarity on Capitol Hill.

The death of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) marks the start of the waning of an already small group of GOP senators willing to act as a counterweight to Trump as the president breaks with decades-long Republican policies.

McCain, despite being diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer in July 2017, remained a vocal critic of U.S. foreign policy and national security under the Trump administration with his outspoken opposition to Gina Haspel’s nomination to lead the CIA and his support of tougher sanctions against Russia.

View the complete article here.

Trump re-lowers flag for McCain, expresses ‘respect’ after backlash

The following article by Jordan Fabian and Brett Samuels was posted on the Hill website August 27, 2018:

President Trump on Monday expressed “respect” for Sen. John McCain‘s (R-Ariz.) public service and ordered flags to fly at half-staff following a widespread criticism of his response to the Senate icon’s passing.

“Despite our differences on policy and politics, I respect Senator John McCain’s service to our country and, in his honor, have signed a proclamation to fly the flag of the United States at half-staff until the day of his interment,” Trump said in a statement released by the White House.

Trump said he has asked Vice President Pence to speak at a memorial service for McCain at the Capitol on Friday and approved military transportation to move the senator’s body from Arizona to Washington, D.C.

View the complete article here.

Art of the Snub: So Far, Trump Opts Against Lowering Flags for McCain This Week

The following article by John T. Bennett was posted on the Roll Call website August 27, 2018:

President ordered flags at half-staff before

A slightly frayed flag flies at the Capitol in Washington fly at half staff on Sunday morning, after Sen. John McCain’s death. So far, President Donald Trump has opted against ordering U.S. flags to be lowered in McCain’s honor. Credit: Bill Clark, CQ Roll Call

President Donald Trump is continuing his feud with John McCain even after the senator’s death, so far opting against ordering U.S. flags to be lowered in honor of the longtime lawmaker. He often has acted quickly to honor other Americans.

Flags at the White House and even the Navy Memorial were at full staff on Monday. The flag  at the White House had been lowered to half-staff over the weekend. Thus far, Trump has not issued a proclamation ordering that U.S. flags be lowered beyond that.

The president reportedly rejected a statement drafted by senior White House aides Saturday night after McCain passed away that honored his decades of service, including his time as a tortured prisoner during the Vietnam War. Instead, he issued a brief tweet offering condolences for the McCain family — but offered no words about McCain’s Navy or congressional careers.

View the complete article here.

White House Lowers Flag Back to Half-staff for McCain After Day of Outrage By

The following article by Benjamin Hart was posted on the New York Magazine website August 26, 2018:

Even after Senator John McCain’s death, President Trump has made no secret of his disdain for the man. Hours after McCain succumbed to cancer on Saturday, Trump reportedly nixed a White House statement that called the senator a “hero,” instead offering a single, anodyne tweet that conspicuously eschewed any personal praise.

On Monday, there was visual evidence of Trump’s contempt. The White House had lowered its flag to half-staff on Sunday, but shortly after midnight, it was back at full staff, in a clear break with precedent — which dictates that it be lowered until burial — and the U.S. flag code.

Continue reading “White House Lowers Flag Back to Half-staff for McCain After Day of Outrage By”

Trump rejected plans for a White House statement praising McCain

The following article by Josh Dawsey was posted on the Washington Post website August 26, 2018:

The Arizona Republican spent decades in the Senate. He endured more than five years of imprisonment and torture by the North Vietnamese. (Video: Joyce Koh/Photo: Melina Mara/The Washington Post)

President Trump nixed issuing a statement that praised the heroism and life of Sen. John McCain, telling senior aides he preferred to issue a tweet before posting one Saturday night that did not include any kind words for the late Arizona Republican.

Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Chief of Staff John F. Kelly and other White House aides advocated for an official statement that gave the decorated Vietnam War POW plaudits for his military and Senate service and called him a “hero,” according to current and former White House aides, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive internal deliberations. The original statement was drafted before McCain died Saturday, and Sanders and others edited a final version this weekend that was ready for the president, the aides said.

But Trump told aides he wanted to post a brief tweet instead, and the statement praising McCain’s life was not released.

View the complete article here.