Senate

GOP senator: Trump’s criticism of McCain ‘deplorable’

by Jordain Carney - 03/20/19 2:39 PM ET

Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) on Wednesday said President Trump’s criticism of the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is “deplorable” and showed a “lack of respect” for the Arizona Republican’s military service.

“It’s deplorable what he said. That’s what I called it from the floor of the Senate,” Isakson told a Georgia radio station. “It will be deplorable seven months from now, if he says it again.”

{mosads}Isakson’s interview comes after he warned that he would speak out against Trump’s renewed criticism of McCain, who he has repeatedly lashed out at the GOP senator’s vote against the 2017 Republican health care bill, in addition to mocking him for being captured as a fighter pilot during the Vietnam War.

During the interview, Isakson raised broader concerns about criticizing veterans, saying, “We should never reduce the service that people give to this country.”

He added that Trump’s remarks showed a “lack of respect for his service” that he didn’t believe is “appropriate.”

The president and McCain had a rocky relationship after Trump, when he was a presidential candidate, criticized the senator for being a prisoner of war in Vietnam.

“I was never a fan of John McCain, and I never will be,” Trump told reporters during an Oval Office meeting this week with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.

Trump also relitigated the 2017 ObamaCare repeal-and-replace vote, saying he was “unhappy” with McCain’s surprise “no” vote, which effectively ended the GOP effort to overhaul the 2010 Affordable Care Act.

“He campaigned on repealing and replacing ObamaCare for years and then he got to a vote and he said ‘thumbs down,’” Trump added. “I think that’s disgraceful, plus there are other things.”

Trump’s remarks sparked backlash from some lawmakers, including Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), who announced on Wednesday that he would revive his effort to rename the Russell Senate Office building after McCain.

Schumer announced in August that he would try to rename the Senate office building but quickly faced political headwinds. His new effort is likely to face the same challenges.

Isakson said on Wednesday that he would “fight for the legacy” of Richard Russell, a Democratic senator from Georgia.

“Chuck Schumer is just playing politics,” he added.

In addition to Schumer and Isakson, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) hit back at Trump on Tuesday for his remarks about McCain.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) tweeted his support for McCain on Wednesday without directly mentioning Trump.

Isakson noted that he had dinner with McConnell on Tuesday but didn’t tell him that he was planning to criticism Trump over his McCain comments.

“I appreciate what he said about John, and he’s 100 percent right,” Isakson added about McConnell.

Tags Chuck Schumer Donald Trump John McCain Johnny Isakson Mitch McConnell Mitt Romney