Veterans Group Responds To WH Official Who Mocked Vietnam War Hero John McCain

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John McCain has sought to serve the United States for decades in a career stretching all the way back to service in the Vietnam War that left him, at one point, a prisoner of war. Donald Trump, on the other hand, has spent decades engaging in a series of questionable business ventures that have involved him putting his name in big gold letters on buildings at times.

Despite this striking discrepancy, White House special assistant Kelly Sadler found it nothing recently to dismiss a challenge from Arizona’s U.S. Senator John McCain because of the fact that he’s suffering from brain cancer. McCain issued a statement expressing opposition to the president’s pick to lead the CIA, Gina Haspel, who was in the past involved with the agency’s torture program.

Speaking about McCain’s push in a recent private White House meeting, Sadler commented:

‘It doesn’t matter, he’s dying anyway.’

Now, the Vietnam Veterans of America group has issued a statement calling on Sadler to be fired. They issued a similar condemnation in the same statement regarding retired Lt. Gen. Thomas McInerney, who during a recent appearance on Fox News claimed that McCain himself is evidence that “torture works” because when put under pressure, he caved to the enemy — despite the fact that there is no evidence such is true. Fox Business has announced in the wake of the controversy over McInerney’s remarks that they will no longer book him.

Addressing the comment from Sadler, VVA leader John Rowan said as follows:

‘When someone in the White House says a Vietnam veteran doesn’t matter, because he’s dying of
brain cancer, that individual should have his employment terminated. There are thousands of Vietnam
veterans going through the same health issues related to Agent Orange, and their families are suffering
with them.’

Addressing the broader issue, including McInerney’s comments, Rowan continued:

‘As an organization, we have had our disagreements with Senator McCain, but he will always be one of our brothers. What Sadler and McInerney have said will not be forgotten, as it reveals an incredible lack of respect for the service and sacrifice of every veteran, and their relationships with the White House and Fox News should be severed immediately.’

As mentioned, Fox Business has at this time confirmed that they will no longer book McInerney.

As for Sadler, she’s still employed at the White House as of Friday afternoon. She is reported to have called McCain’s daughter, the popular conservative personality Meghan McCain, to apologize for her remarks, but even still, during the Friday edition of The View, McCain expressed a position similar to the one held by VVA and questioned why Sadler still has a job.

Sadler, in having callously dismissed McCain, was taking after her own boss. Infamously, then-candidate Trump derided John McCain’s position as a “war hero” because he was captured.

That’s obviously not the only time that the man who is now president has offered up a callous take on one of his opponents, and considering that, the question of whether or not the White House will take the initiative to fire Sadler is certainly in question at this point.

Featured Image via Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images