Late Sen. John McCain was a "national hero," and he would not have had anything to do with the discredited Christopher Steele document had he known it had been funded by Democrats, Rep. Mike Turner said Thursday.
"The attempts to use John McCain to legitimize the discredited dossier for the purpose of initiating an investigation against the president has come to light in testimony...that Christopher Steele said the dossier was being given to McCain for the purpose of legitimizing it," the Ohio Republican told CNN's "New Day."
But if McCain knew who funded it, "he probably wouldn't have had anything to do with it," said Turner, adding that the thought is largely on people's minds as President Donald Trump attacks McCain over turning over the dossier to the FBI, said Turner.
He maintained that McCain turned over the dossier "under false pretenses," and said he was not criticizing McCain.
Turner added that he was "personally saddened" when Trump criticized McCain while celebrating a tank production factory in Lima, Ohio, as the plant that at one time was to be closed is open and thriving thanks to Trump administration policies.
Meanwhile, Trump did not visit the Lordstown, Ohio plant where GM has closed, and Turner said both he and Trump are concerned about the losses of jobs and the workers there.
"He believes General Motors should take actions to re-open the plant and look to others they could sell the plant to," he said, adding that GM had abandoned its workers.
"I think General Motors needs to reconsider the commitment to its own employees and the country," said Turner. "My father worked for General Motors. I think they have done a great disservice to the American worker."
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.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.