Report: Aide Who Joked About John McCain 'Dying' Out At White House
- 6 years ago
Kelly Sadler reportedly "no longer works in the administration."
A White House communications aide made headlines in May after she reportedly joked about Senator John McCain "dying."
Now, CNN is reporting that Kelly Sadler "no longer works in the administration, three sources with knowledge of the matter said on Tuesday."
In the wake of the firestorm over Sadler's alleged remarks about McCain, who's battling brain cancer, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders had refused to comment on the matter at a press briefing.
However, according to White House officials, privately, she "scolded" her staff over the controversy at the time.
"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 faced widespread criticism over Sadler's comment.
"People have wondered when decency would hit rock bottom with this administration," former Vice President Joe Biden said in a statement on May 11. "It happened yesterday."
A White House communications aide made headlines in May after she reportedly joked about Senator John McCain "dying."
Now, CNN is reporting that Kelly Sadler "no longer works in the administration, three sources with knowledge of the matter said on Tuesday."
In the wake of the firestorm over Sadler's alleged remarks about McCain, who's battling brain cancer, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders had refused to comment on the matter at a press briefing.
However, according to White House officials, privately, she "scolded" her staff over the controversy at the time.
"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 faced widespread criticism over Sadler's comment.
"People have wondered when decency would hit rock bottom with this administration," former Vice President Joe Biden said in a statement on May 11. "It happened yesterday."