A White House official who mocked Sen. John McCain’s illness during a Thursday internal meeting reportedly tried to call his daughter, Meghan McCain, to apologize.
According to Politico’s Annie Karnie, “it didn’t go so well.”
White House special assistant Kelly Sadler was discussing McCain’s opposition to the nomination of Gina Haspel as CIA director during a closed-door meeting that included around two-dozen communications staffers when she said, “It doesn’t matter, he’s dying anyway,” according to The Hill.
Although sources said they understood the comment was meant as a joke, it still “did not go over well with others at the meeting,” The Hill reports.
The White House did not deny Sadler’s comments, but instead issued a statement to The Hill: “We respect Senator McCain’s service to our nation and he and his family are in our prayers during this difficult time.”
Trying to make amends, Sadler called Senator McCain’s daughter Megan on Thursday, but “it didn’t go so well,” according to Politico’s Annie Karnie.
Source tells me Sadler called Meghan McCain today. And that it didn’t go so well. https://t.co/ZdAgD001jk
— Annie Karni (@anniekarni) May 10, 2018
Meanwhile, McCain’s wife Cindy had strong words for Sadler:
@kellysadler45 May I remind you my husband has a family, 7 children and 5 grandchildren.
— Cindy McCain (@cindymccain) May 10, 2018