Sen. John McCain is still showing his influence in Washington while battling cancer thousands of miles away in Arizona. The ailing lawmaker’s opposition to Gina Haspel, President Donald Trump's nominee to head the CIA, has caused some fellow senators to think twice about their votes.
The Arizona Republican and former prisoner of war this week issued a statement after Hapel's Senate Intelligence Committee testimony, saying her "refusal to acknowledge torture's immorality is disqualifying," and NPR reported on Saturday that his words are weighing heavily on their minds.
"He's the only one who's been through this," Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Arizona, told NPR. "I obviously share his views on torture and I always have, so his views mean a lot."
Flake said he remains undecided about Haspel.
Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, said that if McCain were in Washington, he could speak directly to his colleagues, but "his statement was so clear it was hard to miss the point that he made."
King, like McCain, opposes Haspel's nomination
Sen. John Kennedy, R-Louisiana, told NPR he plans to support the CIA deputy director's nomination, but he does carefully consider McCain's opinion on this and other important votes.
"When John McCain talks, I listen," Kennedy said. "Sometimes I agree with him; sometimes I don't. But I always listen."
McCain's name is in the news again this week after White House aide, Kelly Sadler, commented that "it doesn't matter; he's dying anyway," during a closed-door session with around two dozen communication officers at the White House early Thursday, while they discussed the ailing senator's opposition to Haspel.
The White House has not denied the reports, but Sadler reportedly called McCain's daughter, Meghan, to apologize.
Meanwhile, McCain is not expected to be back in Washington this week as the annual defense bill goes through discussions in the Senate Armed Services Committee, which he chairs. Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the committee, said members will use the same bipartisan principles McCain advocates.
"Because of him, we're going to do our best to the job he would want us to do which is to make sure we can authorize legislation for the forces and do it in a bipartisan, principled way," Reed told NPR. "He's a great personality. He's a great hero. He's somebody that we miss."
Meanwhile, in Arizona, there is a cutoff of May 30 to determine if a special election is necessary if a Senate seat should become vacant. After that, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey can opt to appoint a senator to serve until a special election can be held in 2020.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. spent two days with McCain, one of his best friends, this week, and would not speculate whether the Arizona senator would resign his seat soon.
According to Phoenix NBC affiliate KPNX, the Arizona Attorney General's office has been reviewing the law in the event McCain leaves his office.
Flake is retiring this year, and Arizona voters are deciding this fall who will replace him, so another election could determine which party will continue to represent the state. At least one Republican could remain in office until 2020 if a person is appointed by Ducey, also a Republican, to replace McCain.
Graham, though, said McCain is mentally intact and recovering physically. Further, he said the two watched McCain's favorite movie, "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance," a classic western movie about a senator whose legacy surpasses his real life, and made their own "R-rated commentary" about it.
The movie, said Graham, "tells you all you need to know about me and him."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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