Dem senator: Trump should apologize for aide’s joke about McCain’s health

Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) is calling on President Trump to apologize for comments made by White House aide Kelly Sadler, who mocked Sen. John McCain’s (R-Ariz.) brain cancer diagnosis.

“I would like to hear something from the president of the United States,” Cardin told CNN on Friday. “The president should be saying that ‘this was unacceptable under my watch, I will not tolerate such comments.’ But we haven’t heard a word from the president.”

Sadler responded to the Arizona senator’s opposition to Gina Haspel’s nomination for CIA director by joking Thursday morning that it doesn’t matter because “he’s dying anyway,” The Hill first reported.

{mosads}

Cardin tweeted Thursday that he wanted to wake up to a “slew” of apologies to McCain on Friday morning. Though Sadler apologized to McCain’s daughter, Meghan McCain, Trump has not commented publicly about the incident. 

Sure hope we wake up to a slew of people apologizing to Sen. McCain.

— Ben Cardin (@BenCardinforMD) May 10, 2018

Asked by CNN if Republicans should speak out against Sadler’s comments, Cardin said all leaders should.

“Leaders have a responsibility to speak out when things are done that are against the traditions and values of this country. And that statement went beyond what is acceptable,” Cardin said. 

Though Cardin wouldn’t say the Trump aide should lose her position, he added he thought the situation was “something that needs to have some disciplinary results.”

“To make that type of comment, there’s no place for that anywhere in our society, let alone the White House,” Cardin said.