GOP senators mull bringing up White House comment about McCain during lunch with Trump


Senate Republicans are set to have lunch on Tuesday with President Trump, and it's anyone's guess if their colleague Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) will be a topic of discussion.
Politico spoke with several GOP senators who said they were not happy with a White House communications aide, Kelly Sadler, saying during a meeting that it "doesn't matter" if McCain opposes confirming CIA director nominee Gina Haspel because he's "dying anyway." McCain has an aggressive form of brain cancer, and while Sadler has privately called the McCain family, there's been no public apology from her or the White House.
Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) said out of "common decency" both the White House and Sadler should apologize, and Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) agreed. "Everything happens for a reason," he said. "And sometimes the reason is you're stupid and made a bad decision. She ought to apologize publicly." Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) told Politico she hopes "we have a discussion about it" during the lunch, but Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) said the matter has gone on for "five days" and "it's time for everyone to move on."
Subscribe to 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.
Steve Schmidt, a Republican strategist and friend of McCain's, isn't holding his breath that anyone will mention the comment to Trump during the lunch, no matter how mad they are, because "the modern condition of the Republican Party is such that it will be an anger that dare not speak its name out loud for risk of offending the leader."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
How generative AI is changing the way we write and speak
In The Spotlight ChatGPT and other large language model tools are quietly influencing which words we use
-
How long can Nato keep Donald Trump happy?
Today's Big Question Military alliance pulls out all the stops to woo US president on his peacemaker victory lap
-
Easy Money: the Charles Ponzi Story – an 'enlightening' podcast
The Week Recommends Apple Original podcast explores the 'fascinating' tale of the man who gave the investment scam its name
-
British warship repels 'largest Houthi attack to date' in the Red Sea
Speed read Western allies warn of military response to Iranian-backed Yemeni rebels if attacks on ships continue
-
Houthi rebels claim Red Sea ship attacks
speed read Iran-backed Yemeni group vows to escalate aggression towards Israel-linked vessels in revenge for Gaza war
-
Israel plans next phase of Gaza war as first hostages released
Speed read After four-day ceasefire 'we will not stop' until destruction of Hamas, says Israel
-
Mob storms Russian airport 'looking for Jews'
Speed Read Plane from Israel surrounded by rioters chanting antisemitic slogans after landing in Russia's Dagestan region
-
Tuberville's military promotions block is upending lives, combat readiness, 3 military branch chiefs say
Speed Read
-
Ukraine's counteroffensive is making incremental gains. Does it matter in the broader war?
Speed Read
-
US commissions first-ever Navy ship in a foreign port
Speed Read
-
British spy chief, Wagner video suggest Prigozhin is alive and freely 'floating around'
Speed Read