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:
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
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.
-
How clean-air efforts may have exacerbated global warmingUnder the Radar Air pollution artificially cooled the Earth, ‘masking’ extent of temperature increase
-
September 14 editorial cartoonsCartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include RFK Jr on the hook, the destruction of discourse, and more
-
Air strikes in the Caribbean: Trump’s murky narco-warTalking Point Drug cartels ‘don’t follow Marquess of Queensberry Rules’, but US military air strikes on speedboats rely on strained interpretation of ‘invasion’
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to TrumpSpeed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raidsSpeed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raidSpeed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearingSpeed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mountSpeed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own listspeed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battleSpeed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants
