A fighter. A maverick. The conscience of the Senate.
Former colleagues of Sen. John McCain paid tribute to the Arizona Republican’s life and service to the country on Sunday, hailing him as a principled and independent voice that will be sorely missed at a time of bitter division in Washington.
The White House lowered flags to half-staff in honor of McCain, who after a battle with brain cancer.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and congressional leaders of both parties announced Sunday that McCain will lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda. McConnell called McCain “a great American patriot, a statesman who put his country first and enriched this institution through many years of service.”
McCain will lie in state at the Arizona Capitol on Wednesday, on what would have been his 82nd birthday, Gov. Doug Ducey (R) said.
McCain’s office has not released a full outline of his memorial services, but friends and advisers have said they expect that there will be services in Phoenix and then Washington, followed by a private burial at the cemetery on the grounds of the Naval Academy in Annapolis.
In his book “The Restless Wave,” which was published in May, McCain said he would be buried close to his classmate Charles R. Larson, the late admiral who led U.S. Pacific Command and later served as superintendent of the Naval Academy.
President Trump to McCain’s family in a Saturday night tweet. But the president, who since as far back as 1999, offered no words on McCain himself.
“My deepest sympathies and respect go out to the family of Senator John McCain. Our hearts and prayers are with you!” Trump said.
Trump made no mention of McCain in his Sunday morning tweets, reposting previous tweets on the economy, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton’s emails and the special counsel investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. The president then left the White House for golf at his Virginia course.
