--- title: John McCain's Wife Responds to Derisive 'Dying' Comment description: Following a report that a White House aide made a derisive comment about John McCain's health, his wife Cindy McCain responded on Twitter canonical: https://time.com/5273706/cindy-john-mccain-response-kelly-sadler/ author: Casey Quackenbush article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-05-11T03:40:50.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:53:27.101Z article:section: Politics og:title: Cindy McCain Responds to White House Aide's 'Dying' Comment og:description: A staffer reportedly dismissed McCain's criticisms because he's "dying anyway" og:url: https://time.com/5273706/cindy-john-mccain-response-kelly-sadler/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt802a0767744b6f48/698930290a4a228d6f9d2ace/gettyimages-607413004.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: 2016 Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Awards og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Cindy McCain Responds to White House Aide's 'Dying' Comment twitter:description: A staffer reportedly dismissed McCain's criticisms because he's "dying anyway" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt802a0767744b6f48/698930290a4a228d6f9d2ace/gettyimages-607413004.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Cindy McCain Has Responded to the White House Aide Accused of Mocking Her Husband > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: John McCain Is in 'Stable Condition' Following Surgery to Treat [Watch (HLS stream): John McCain Is in 'Stable Condition' Following Surgery to Treat](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/13tc4SZs.m3u8) (0:37)  _Published 2018-04-17. Sen. John McCain has undergone surgery due to an intestinal infection, his office announced Monday._ by [Casey Quackenbush](https://time.com/author/casey-quackenbush/) ## Casey Quackenbush May 11, 2018 3:40 AM UTC  Cindy McCain attends the 2016 Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Awards in Louisville, Kentucky on Sept. 17, 2016. Cindy McCain attends the 2016 Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Awards in Louisville, Kentucky on Sept. 17, 2016. Stephen J. Cohen—Getty Images by [Casey Quackenbush](https://time.com/author/casey-quackenbush/) ## Casey Quackenbush May 11, 2018 3:40 AM UTC Following a report that a White House aide made a derisive comment about John McCain’s health, the Republican Senator’s wife Cindy McCain responded on Twitter in defense of her husband, who was diagnosed with brain cancer last year. > [](https://twitter.com/cindymccain/status/994724759874109440) The Hill [reported ](http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/387182-white-house-official-mocked-dying-mccain-at-internal-meeting)Thursday that Kelly Sadler, a special assistant to President Donald Trump, said during a closed-door meeting of about two dozen White House staffers that McCain’s criticism “doesn’t matter, he’s dying anyway.” Sadler’s comment was reportedly made during a discussion about McCain’s opposition to President Trump’s nominee for CIA director, Gina Haspel, and were relayed to the Hill by a source familiar with remarks made at the meeting. The White House did not deny Sadler’s remarks, the Hill reports. “We respect Senator McCain’s service to our nation and he and his family are in our prayers during this difficult time,” the White House said in a statement to the Hill. Sadler reportedly called McCain’s daughter, Meghan McCain, to apologize, according to The Hill. Formerly a [deputy opinion editor](https://www.propublica.org/article/you-helped-us-find-hires-the-white-house-never-announced) at the Washington Post, Sadler now files press releases from the White House focusing on immigration, the Hill reports. Haspel, Trump’s nominee to lead the CIA, has [come under scrutiny](http://time.com/5198054/gina-haspel-cia-torture-senate/) for her role in the use of harsh interrogation tactics in the wake of terror attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. As a former prisoner of war who was tortured in Vietnam, McCain [urged Senators to reject Haspel’s nomination](https://www.mccain.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=9BF25289-D798-47B9-A30D-9494C6022EF8), saying “her refusal to acknowledge torture’s immorality is disqualifying.” McCain is undergoing treatment for[ glioblastoma](http://time.com/4865922/glioblastoma-john-mccain-brain-tumor/), a rare brain cancer. ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5273706/cindy-john-mccain-response-kelly-sadler/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5273706/cindy-john-mccain-response-kelly-sadler/"},"headline":"Cindy McCain Has Responded to the White House Aide Accused of Mocking Her Husband","datePublished":"2018-05-11T03:40:50.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:53:27.101Z","description":"A staffer reportedly dismissed McCain's criticisms because he's \"dying anyway\"","url":"https://time.com/5273706/cindy-john-mccain-response-kelly-sadler/","keywords":["republicans","onetime","overnight"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt802a0767744b6f48/698930290a4a228d6f9d2ace/gettyimages-607413004.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Casey Quackenbush","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/casey-quackenbush/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt802a0767744b6f48/698930290a4a228d6f9d2ace/gettyimages-607413004.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"2016 Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Awards","caption":"2016 Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Awards","creditText":"Stephen J. 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