Trump aide who derided Sen. McCain no longer working for White House

A communications aide of President Donald Trump, who joked about veteran Senator John McCain's battle with brain cancer has left her job, White House spokesman Raj Shah has announced.

In May, special assistant Kelly Sadler reportedly took exception to McCain's criticism of President Trump's CIA nominee, Gina Haspel, by dismissing his opinion and saying "he's dying anyway."

The 81-year-old Arizona Senator has been diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer. McCain, a Navy officer, who was tortured during more than five years as a prisoner-of-war in Vietnam, had opposed Haspel's nomination citing her past connections to interrogation methods, including waterboarding.

 

"Kelly Sadler is no longer employed within the Executive Office of the President," Shah, the principal deputy press secretary, said in a statement yesterday.

The White House had been strategising an exit for Sadler for the last two weeks, a senior administration official said. There had been a discussion about relocating her to another agency or department outside of the White House, and it remains unclear if she is going somewhere else or leaving the administration entirely, CNN reported.

The White House has not confirmed or denied whether Sadler made the remark on McCain.

"We respect Senator McCain's service to our nation and he and his family are in our prayers during this difficult time," a statement at the time said.

After last month's reports over the comment, Sadler called the senator's daughter, Meghan McCain, to apologise, according to the Hill newspaper.

But afterward, Meghan cCain publicly questioned why Sadler still had a job at the White House.

Sadler's comment spurred an intensive effort inside the West Wing to seek out leakers.

The effort to find leakers has led to an acrimonious atmosphere at the White House, CNN quoted aides as saying. Sadler had also reportedly angered White House director of strategic communications, Mercedes Schlapp, when she told Trump in the Oval Office that she believed Schlapp was responsible for some of the leaks -- as Schlapp was looking on.