No one seems to think a White House staffer's 'joke' about John McCain dying was funny

(Image credit: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images)

last updated 12 May 2018

Sen. John McCain's (R-Ariz.) opposition to CIA director nominee Gina Haspel, because "her refusal to acknowledge torture's immorality is disqualifying," has apparently pushed some Republicans to some dark places. Not long after a Fox Business guest, retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Thomas McInerney, claimed Thursday morning that torture works and that it "worked" on "Songbird John," a White House press official reportedly joked during a meeting about McCain's likely terminal brain cancer. McCain's opposition to Haspel "doesn't matter, he's dying anyway," said Kelly Sadler, who focuses on immigration as a special assistant in the press office, two people told The Hill. Her comment was apparently meant as a joke, the sources say, but it caused "discomfort" in the room.

Other media outlets confirmed the comment by Sadler, a former opinion editor at The Washington Times, though the reaction to her comment is contested:

Sadler reportedly called Meghan McCain, John McCain's daughter, to apologize, and the White House put out a statement saying "we respect Senator McCain's service to our nation and he and his family are in our prayers during this difficult time." McCain's wife, Cindy, tweeted Sadler directly:

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But Meghan McCain will respond Friday on The View, The Daily Caller reports. McCain and President Trump have a fraught relationship; Trump said in 2015 that McCain, who was tortured as a POW in Vietnam, "was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren't captured," and McCain has apparently requested that Trump not attend his eventual funeral.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.