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Friday, May 11, 2018
On Thursday, a White House press aide, Kelly Sadler, issued a statement dismissing opposition by Senator John McCain, a Republican from Arizona, to United States President Donald Trump’s choice for Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director, Gina Haspel, by invoking McCain’s brain cancer prognosis. The Hill reported Sadler negating the concerns by saying, “It doesn’t matter, he’s dying anyway.” which garnered bi-partisan criticism on Friday.
Trump nominated Haspel to fill the vacated seat of current CIA Director Mike Pompeo, whom Trump promoted to Secretary of State after the firing of Rex Tillerson last March. To take the position, Haspel must undergo a confirmation hearing, after which the Senate holds a vote. Senator McCain has expressed concerns over Haspel’s association with black site prisons and enhanced interrogation techniques which met international criteria for torture. Haspel is a career CIA operative with much of her history classified for national security, so most of her testimony in front of McCain is to occur behind closed doors.
McCain, age 81, discovered he had glioblastoma multiforme, an aggressive form of brain cancer, after receiving a surgical procedure to remove a blood clot from his upper left eye. The clot had initially been thought to be a recurring malignant melanoma mass developed during McCain’s imprisonment during the Vietnam War. The late Senator Ted Kennedy, Democrat from Massachusetts, suffered from the same cancer until his death on August 25, 2009. There is no known cure for glioblastoma, but chemotherapy and radiation can extend life with doctors managing the quality of the patient’s life.
During McCain’s imprisonment, he was subjected to multiple physical and mental torture techniques including waterboarding, leaving him with permanently disfigured bones and other injuries. As McCain is a ranking member of the politically powerful Senate Armed Services Committee, Haspel must answer McCain’s questions about her level of knowledge and activity surrounding the interrogation program before being approved by the full Senate.
The Sadler statement, confirmed by two White House sources to Fox News’s producer Fin Gomez, is not the first public issuing of controversial statements directed at McCain. During the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump made disparaging comments about McCain’s service record in front of supporters. When addressing the 2015 Family Leadership Summit in Ames, Iowa, Trump gave his most notable remark on McCain saying, “He’s not a war hero. He’s a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren’t captured.”
When asked for a statement regarding The Hill’s report, the White House never denied Sadler’s statement, instead adding, “We respect Senator McCain’s service to our nation and he and his family are in our prayers during this difficult time.” Prominent colleagues in Congress have criticized Sadler’s remarks. Longtime supporter Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican from South Carolina, gave, “Ms. Sadler, may I remind you that John McCain has a lot of friends in the United States Senate on both sides of the aisle. Nobody is laughing in the Senate.” Former Vice President Joe Biden, a Democrat, also gave his support, stating, “People have wondered when decency would hit rock bottom with this administration. It happened yesterday.”
If approved, Haspel will be the first woman to head the CIA. Trump will need all Senate Republicans to approve Haspel with the slimmest 51–49 seat majority, with McCain absent for most votes requiring the current Vice President Mike Pence breaking deadlocked votes. When McCain passes, and with Senator John Flake, Republican from Arizona, may shift the power in the Senate during the midterm elections requiring the administration to deliver more bi-partisan policies.
McCain’s condition has limited his role inside Washington, D.C.. He is receiving chemotherapy at the Mayo Clinic with input from the Barrows Neurological Institute located in downtown Phoenix, Arizona. He is recovering from the treatments at his Sedona, Arizona ranch with his wife, Cindy McCain.
Cindy McCain responded with a Tweet, “May I remind you my husband has a family, 7 children and 5 grandchildren.” Meghan McCain, daughter and The View co-host, regularly visits and is the most public defender of her father from the Trump Administration’s attacks. Meghan McCain spoke out against the White House and Sadler Friday with, “I don’t understand what kind of environment you’re working in when that would be acceptable and then you could come to work the next day and still have a job.”
McCain did not address Sadler’s statements directly, but reiterated his stance on Haspel’s record, “Ms. Haspel’s role in overseeing the use of torture by Americans is disturbing. Her refusal to acknowledge torture’s immorality is disqualifying … I believe the Senate should exercise its duty of advice and consent and reject this nomination.”
Sadler reportedly reached out to Meghan McCain and apologized about the statement. The White House has not terminated Sadler or announced any further disciplinary actions. President Trump has not addressed the media about Sadler’s statements.