President Donald Trump and his acting defense secretary distanced themselves from an order to keep a warship rededicated in honor of the late Sen. John McCain, a frequent critic of Trump , out of sight during the commander in chief's recent visit to Japan.
The Pentagon's acting chief, Patrick Shanahan, said he never authorized attempts to make sure Trump would not see the USS John S. McCain at its homeport in Japan and has asked his staff to investigate. Trump said he was not involved in the matter.
Trump, who long feuded with McCain , told reporters at the White House Thursday that he "was not a big fan" of the Arizona Republican and onetime presidential nominee "in any way, shape or form." But, Trump added, "I would never do a thing like that.
"Now, somebody did it because they thought I didn't like him, OK? And they were well-meaning, I will say," he said, while insisting he was kept in the dark.
The order that a Navy destroyer be kept out of sight reflected what appeared to be an extraordinary White House effort to avoid offending an unpredictable president known for holding a grudge, including a particularly bitter one against McCain.
Three U.S. officials confirmed to The Associated Press that the White House told the Navy to keep the warship named for McCain, his father and his grandfather out of Trump's sight during Trump's visit Tuesday to a base outside Tokyo.
The Wall Street Journal first reported that a U.S. Indo-Pacific Command official wrote an email to Navy and Air Force officials about Trump's Memorial Day weekend visit, including instructions for preparations for the USS Wasp, where he was to speak.
"USS John McCain needs to be out of sight," according to the email, obtained by the Journal and whose existence was confirmed to the AP by the three U.S. officials. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss private email correspondence.
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May 31, 2019 at 01:16PM
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