GOP/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump continued his attacks against individual Senate Republicans, criticizing Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.) and his pivotal health-care vote at a news conference Tuesday [8-15-17] at Trump Tower in New York City.
A week after Mr. Trump knocked Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) over the Senate’s failure to pass any legislation dismantling and replacing the Affordable Care Act, the president took aim at Mr. McCain, now in his sixth Senate term.
Asked about Mr. McCain’s recent comments defending National Security Adviser Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, Mr. Trump responded: ‘You mean Sen. McCain, who voted against us getting good health care?’
The Arizona Republican, who was recently diagnosed with brain cancer, cast an unexpected ‘no’ vote late last month when a slimmed-down measure to pare back selected pieces of the 2010 health-care law, known as the ‘skinny repeal’ bill, narrowly failed in a vote of 49 to 51.
‘We came very close with health care. Unfortunately, John McCain decided to vote against it at the last minute,’ Mr. Trump said Tuesday. ‘You’ll have to ask John McCain why he did that.’
Mr. Trump has criticized other senators for breaking with him on health care. He tweeted earlier that Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R., Alaska) had ‘really let the Republicans, and our country down’ when she voted against beginning debate on the bill.
A spokeswoman for Mr. McCain didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.”
-Kristina Peterson, “Trump Targets McCain Over Health Vote,” The Wall Street Journal online, Aug. 15, 2017 06:17pm