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McCain to be buried Sept. 2 – official; Veterans accuse Trump of ‘blatant disrespect’ for the war hero

Late U.S. Senator John McCain will be buried on Sept. 2 in Annapolis, Maryland, his office has said.

This is even as a leading U.S. veterans’ group blasted President Donald Trump’s muted response to the demise of the Vietnam war hero, after the White House flag was fully raised on Monday after being briefly flown at half mast.

McCain, who was a leading conservative dissident within Trump’s Republican Party, died on Saturday, Aug. 25 at the age of 81 of brain cancer.

“On Sept. 2 … a private memorial service will take place in the U.S. Naval Academy Chapel in Annapolis, Maryland, honouring the life of Sen. McCain.

“Following the service, a private burial ceremony will be celebrated at the U.S. Naval Academy Cemetery and Senator McCain will be laid to rest next to his Naval Academy classmate and lifelong friend, Adm. Chuck Larson,” the statement said.

McCain’s body will also lie at the Arizona State Capitol on Wednesday and at the U.S. Capitol on Friday, his office said.

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, a Republican, is expected to choose McCain’s replacement after his funeral, according to the governor’s aide.

“Out of respect for the life and legacy of Sen. McCain and his family, Gov. Ducey will not be making any announcements about an appointment until after the senator is laid to rest,” Daniel Ruiz II said, as quoted by The New York Times.

McCain’s widow Cindy is among potential candidates to take the late senator’s seat until the special election in 2020, the media reported.

U.S. President Donald Trump rejected the issuance of an official White House statement, which was praising McCain along with condolences, The Washington Post said citing anonymous officials.

Instead, Trump only wrote a tweet, with White House Press Secretary, Sarah Sanders and Chief of Staff, John Kelly, speaking in favour of a full-fledged statement.

The six-term U.S. Senator and former prisoner of war in Vietnam was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2017.

On Friday, the politician’s family said he had decided to halt his treatment.

McCain was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1982, and, after serving two terms, was elected to the U.S Senate in 1986.

McCain ran as the Republican Party’s presidential nominee in the 2008 U.S. election against then-Senator Barack Obama, who won the vote.

The White House, unusually, has issued no official statement on the death of McCain, with Trump tweeting only a brief statement of condolence for the family with no mention of McCain’s military and political careers.

“It’s outrageous that the White House would mark American hero John McCain’s death with a two-sentence tweet, making no mention of his heroic and inspiring life,” said Joe Chenelly, National Executive Director of AMVETS.

During events attended by reporters on Monday at the White House, Trump ignored questions about his McCain response.

The flag on the White House roof was lowered late Saturday and all day Sunday to half mast but returned to the top of the pole on Monday.

A few hundred metres away, flags around the Washington Monument remained at half mast.

Federal rules call for flags to be lowed for Congress members on the day of death and the day after.

“By lowering flags for not one second more than the bare minimum required by law, in spite of a long-standing tradition of lowering flags until the funeral, the White House is openly showcasing its blatant disrespect for Sen. McCain’s many decades of service and sacrifice to our country as well as the service of all his fellow veterans,” Chenelly said.

 

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