White House officials planning President Trump's visit to Japan had a request for the U.S. Navy: "USS John McCain needs to be out of sight," according to an email reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. Hiding the warship — now named for the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and his father and grandfather, both admirals — was the third item on a list of White House directives relayed to Navy and Air Force officials, the Journal reports. "Please confirm #3 will be satisfied," the email added.
Navy officials, apparently taken aback by the request, tried various ways to comply. Moving the USS John McCain, being repaired after a fatal 2017 collision, wasn't an option, so tarps were draped over the ship's name, the Journal reports, with photos. The ship's crew, whose uniforms say USS John McCain, was given the day off and not invited to Trump's speech Tuesday aboard the nearby USS Wasp. After the tarps were removed Saturday, a barge was then moved into place to obscure the name, the Journal reports.
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.
Journal reporter Rebecca Ballhaus ran through some more details on CNN Wednesday night.
McCain's daughter Meghan McCain responded to the report by calling Trump "a child who will always be deeply threatened by the greatness of my dad's incredible life." Trump tweeted: "I was not informed about anything having to do with the Navy Ship USS John S. McCain during my recent visit to Japan."
-
Political cartoons for November 30Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include the Saudi-China relationship, MAGA spelled wrong, and more
-
Rothermere’s Telegraph takeover: ‘a right-leaning media powerhouse’Talking Point Deal gives Daily Mail and General Trust more than 50% of circulation in the UK newspaper market
-
The US-Saudi relationship: too big to fail?Talking Point With the Saudis investing $1 trillion into the US, and Trump granting them ‘major non-Nato ally’ status, for now the two countries need each other
-
Judge halts Trump’s DC Guard deploymentSpeed Read The Trump administration has ‘infringed upon the District’s right to govern itself,’ the judge ruled
-
Trump accuses Democrats of sedition meriting ‘death’Speed Read The president called for Democratic lawmakers to be arrested for urging the military to refuse illegal orders
-
Court strikes down Texas GOP gerrymanderSpeed Read The Texas congressional map ordered by Trump is likely an illegal racial gerrymander, the court ruled
-
Trump defends Saudi prince, shrugs off Khashoggi murderSpeed Read The president rebuked an ABC News reporter for asking Mohammed bin Salman about the death of a Washington Post journalist at the Saudi Consulate in 2018
-
Congress passes bill to force release of Epstein filesSpeed Read The Justice Department will release all files from its Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking investigation
-
Trump says he will sell F-35 jets to Saudi ArabiaSpeed Read The president plans to make several deals with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman this week
-
Judge blasts ‘profound’ errors in Comey caseSpeed Read ‘Government misconduct’ may necessitate dismissing the charges against the former FBI director altogether
-
Ecuador rejects push to allow US military basesSpeed Read Voters rejected a repeal of a constitutional ban on US and other foreign military bases in the country
