Report: White House 'Canceled A Large Daily Morning Meeting' After McCain Remark Leak
- 6 years ago
The New York Times reported Thursday that the White House "canceled a large daily morning meeting" after John McCain remark leak.
In the wake of a firestorm over a communications aide's joke about Senator John McCain "dying," the White House seems to have made some changes.
"The White House communications office has canceled a large daily morning meeting in response to the leak," the New York Times reported Thursday, citing "two people familiar with the matter."
"The meeting, which brought together roughly 30 communications staff members from the West Wing, did not take place Thursday or the two days prior. Instead, a smaller group of communications team members has met, one person briefed on the matter said," the publication added.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders had declined to comment on the matter at a press briefing last week. However, she reportedly "scolded" her staff over the controversy.
"Sanders called the comment 'unacceptable,' but was said to be more upset about the leak than the off-handed comment from White House staffer Kelly Sadler that McCain's opposition to their CIA director nominee Gina Haspel 'doesn't matter, because he's dying anyway,'" reported ABC News.
Axios' Jonathan Swan detailed a similar account, noting that a source told him, "[Sanders] made a point of immediately saying Sadler's comment was wrong but her point was that these issues should be litigated internally and airing grievances through the press inflicts immense damage on the White House."
The White House has faced widespread criticism over Sadler's remarks targeting McCain, who's battling brain cancer.
"People have wondered when decency would hit rock bottom with this administration," former Vice President Joe Biden said in a statement on Friday. "It happened yesterday."
In the wake of a firestorm over a communications aide's joke about Senator John McCain "dying," the White House seems to have made some changes.
"The White House communications office has canceled a large daily morning meeting in response to the leak," the New York Times reported Thursday, citing "two people familiar with the matter."
"The meeting, which brought together roughly 30 communications staff members from the West Wing, did not take place Thursday or the two days prior. Instead, a smaller group of communications team members has met, one person briefed on the matter said," the publication added.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders had declined to comment on the matter at a press briefing last week. However, she reportedly "scolded" her staff over the controversy.
"Sanders called the comment 'unacceptable,' but was said to be more upset about the leak than the off-handed comment from White House staffer Kelly Sadler that McCain's opposition to their CIA director nominee Gina Haspel 'doesn't matter, because he's dying anyway,'" reported ABC News.
Axios' Jonathan Swan detailed a similar account, noting that a source told him, "[Sanders] made a point of immediately saying Sadler's comment was wrong but her point was that these issues should be litigated internally and airing grievances through the press inflicts immense damage on the White House."
The White House has faced widespread criticism over Sadler's remarks targeting McCain, who's battling brain cancer.
"People have wondered when decency would hit rock bottom with this administration," former Vice President Joe Biden said in a statement on Friday. "It happened yesterday."