A public debate about John McCain's funeral arrangement is playing out in an oddly public fashion
- John McCain, Republican senator from Arizona, is battling an aggressive form of brain cancer. As part of his funeral arrangements, he has chosen not to invite President Donald Trump to the service.
- At least one fellow Republican lawmaker, Sen. Orrin Hatch, called McCain's decision "ridiculous," and said he would choose differently because Trump is "a very good man."
- McCain is a Vietnam veteran. He spent six years as a prisoner of war after he was nearly killed when his plane was shot down over Hanoi in 1967. He has served five terms in the US Senate since 1986.
- Trump infamously mocked McCain's military service during his 2016 presidential campaign and said "he is not a war hero."
Sen. John McCain does not want President Donald Trump at his funeral.
The Arizona senator is battling brain cancer, and news about his funeral arrangements prompted at least one fellow senator, Orrin Hatch of Utah, to protest McCain's wish to bar Trump from his farewell service. McCain reportedly prefers Vice President Mike Pence to represent the current administration in Trump's place.
Hatch called McCain's decision "ridiculous" according to multiple news reports, and said that he would choose differently because Trump is "a very good man."
Trump infamously mocked McCain's military service during the 2016 presidential campaign. McCain is a Vietnam veteran. He spent six years as a prisoner of war after he was nearly killed when his plane was shot down over Hanoi in 1967. McCain has served five terms in the US Senate since 1986, and was the Republican presidential nominee in 2008.
In July 2015, Trump said of McCain: "He's not a war hero ... he was captured. I like people that weren't captured." And in September 2017, months after McCain's cancer diagnosis was announced, Trump reportedly mocked the senator again.
Those comments cut deeply. McCain's daughter, Meghan, and his wife, Cindy, have publicly rebuked Trump's behavior. McCain's decision not to invite Trump to his funeral has sparked an equally public debate as more details of McCain's final arrangements emerged via a New York Times report published on Saturday.