Aide who said McCain is 'dying' still works at White House

WASHINGTON -- The White House declined to condemn comments made by a special assistant to President Donald Trump dismissing Sen. John McCain's opinion during a closed-door meeting because, she said, "he's dying anyway."

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters Friday she would not comment on an internal staff meeting, but said Kelly Sadler, the aide in question, remains a White House staffer.

"I'm not going to validate a leak out of an internal staff meeting one way or the other," she said.

Sadler was discussing McCain's opposition to Trump's pick for CIA director, Gina Haspel, at a communications staff meeting Thursday when she said, "it doesn't matter" because "he's dying anyway," two people in the room confirmed to The Associated Press.

The people, who were not authorized to discuss internal deliberations and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity, described feeling shocked and stunned by the remark. The comment was first reported by The Hill newspaper.

The White House had released a more supportive statement Thursday evening saying, "We respect Senator McCain's service to our nation and he and his family are in our prayers during this difficult time."

The 81-year-old Arizona Republican, who has spent three decades in the Senate, was diagnosed in July with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer. He left Washington in December and underwent surgery last month for an infection.

Sadler is a special assistant to the president. She did not respond to requests for comment Thursday evening or Friday.

Sen. McCain, a Navy pilot who was beaten in captivity during the Vietnam War, has urged his fellow senators to reject Haspel. He said Wednesday he believes she's a patriot who loves the country but "her refusal to acknowledge torture's immorality is disqualifying."

Haspel faced grilling Wednesday by the Senate Intelligence Committee about her role overseeing some CIA operations after the Sept. 11 attacks. She told senators she doesn't believe torture works as an interrogation technique.

Spokeswoman Sanders, however, disputed the idea the president had set a tone at the top encouraging derogatory comments like Sadler's.

"We have a respect for all Americans and that is what we try to put forward in everything we do both in word and in action," Sanders said.