--- title: Meghan McCain Slams Kelly Sadler for 'Dying' John McCain Joke description: Meghan McCain fired back on Friday against a White House aide who reportedly mocked and dismissed her father by saying "he's dying anyway" canonical: https://time.com/5274138/john-mccain-kelly-sadler-meghan/ author: Katie Reilly article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-05-11T15:49:08.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:53:25.745Z article:section: Politics og:title: Meghan McCain Fires Back at White House Aide Who Mocked 'Dying' John McCain og:description: “I don’t understand what kind of environment you’re working in" og:url: https://time.com/5274138/john-mccain-kelly-sadler-meghan/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta796178e9b5f914b/69893030929fad04abbf0885/john-mccain-kelly-sadler-meghan.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: ABC's "The View" - Season 21 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Meghan McCain Fires Back at White House Aide Who Mocked 'Dying' John McCain twitter:description: “I don’t understand what kind of environment you’re working in" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta796178e9b5f914b/69893030929fad04abbf0885/john-mccain-kelly-sadler-meghan.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 'It Is Not How You Die. It Is How You Live.' Meghan McCain Fires Back at White House Aide Who Mocked 'Dying' John McCain > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=f36de217-6bf8-401c-a664-1a6ab424dec8&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Monday to Saturday (3x per week) | TIME, August 2026 | | Subscribers | 85,000 | TIME, August 2026 | | Open rate | 37.0% | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Philip Elliott, Senior Correspondent | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The policy influence ecosystem. A policy-focused audience spanning government, public affairs, advocacy, law, research, political media, and the institutions that make, interpret and respond to public policy. ### TIME D.C. Brief: key statements * D.C. 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Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. It reaches 85,000 subscribers with a 37.0% open rate as of August 2026. #### 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: Sen. John McCain, Ill With Brain Cancer, Tells Western Allies 'I Am Counting on You... to Never Give Up' [Watch (HLS stream): Sen. John McCain, Ill With Brain Cancer, Tells Western Allies 'I Am Counting on You... to Never Give Up'](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/V3ock2Uh.m3u8) (7:46)  _Published 2018-02-20. Cindy McCain accepted an award on behalf of her husband John McCain, who is ill with brain cancer, on Saturday night at the Munich Security Conference_  by [Katie Reilly](https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly May 11, 2018 3:49 PM UTC  Meghan McCain on The View on April 17, 2018. Meghan McCain on The View on April 17, 2018. Heidi Gutman—ABC/Getty Images  by [Katie Reilly](https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly May 11, 2018 3:49 PM UTC Meghan McCain fired back against a White House aide who reportedly mocked and dismissed her father, Arizona Sen. John McCain, who is [battling brain cancer](http://time.com/5266703/friends-family-visit-john-mccain/). Earlier this week, Sen. McCain, who announced in July 2017 that he had been [diagnosed with brain cancer](http://time.com/4865775/john-mccain-brain-cancer-tumor-glioblastoma/), urged Senators to reject President Trump’s nominee for CIA director, [Gina Haspel](http://time.com/5270242/gina-haspel-cia-hearings/). “It doesn’t matter, he’s dying anyway,” White House aide Kelly Sadler said in response to McCain’s opposition during a closed-door meeting of White House communications staffers on Thursday, according [reports](https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/10/politics/white-house-kelly-sadler-john-mccain/index.html) by [multiple](http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/387182-white-house-official-mocked-dying-mccain-at-internal-meeting) news [outlets](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/white-house-official-derides-mccain-over-haspel-opposition-hes-dying-anyway/2018/05/10/b8aa4422-54a2-11e8-a551-5b648abe29ef%5Fstory.html?utm%5Fterm=.98996fbaeaf6). “I don’t understand what kind of environment you’re working in where that would be acceptable, and you can come to work the next day and still have a job,” Meghan McCain said Friday on _the View_. “Kelly, here’s a little newsflash — and this may be a bit intense for 11 o’clock in the morning on a Friday — but we’re all dying. I’m dying, you’re dying, we’re all dying,” she added. “I really feel like I understand the meaning of life, and it is not how you die. It is how you live.” She said her father is “doing really well right now.” He has been receiving a stream of visitors from lawmakers and friends at his Arizona ranch. John McCain’s wife, Cindy, [also responded](http://time.com/5273706/cindy-john-mccain-response-kelly-sadler/) to Sadler on Thursday. “May I remind you my husband has a family, 7 children and 5 grandchildren,” she said in a tweet to Sadler. > [](https://twitter.com/cindymccain/status/994724759874109440) In another incident this week, retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Tom McInerney appeared on Fox Business and mocked McCain’s history as a prisoner of war, saying torture “worked on John. That’s why they call him ‘Songbird John.'” Fox News and Fox Business Network said they have since cut ties with McInerney, [CNN reported](https://twitter.com/brianstelter/status/994796321180667905). “My father’s legacy is going to be talked about for hundreds and hundreds of years,” Meghan McCain said Friday. “These people? Nothing burgers.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5274138/john-mccain-kelly-sadler-meghan/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5274138/john-mccain-kelly-sadler-meghan/"},"headline":"'It Is Not How You Die. It Is How You Live.' 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