Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said Tuesday that former national security adviser Mike Flynn’s resignation is a major distraction that is preventing Republicans from moving their agenda.
“It sucks the oxygen right out of the room. It really does,” McCain said.
McCain made the remark to reporters Tuesday after Senate Republicans weekly policy lunch, which was attended by Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Paul Ryan and focused on the party’s ongoing push to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. He was responding to a reporter who asked how much energy these stories zap from these meetings.
“We should be talking about replacing Obamacare,” he said. “We should be talking about tax reform — and we are talking about it, but that’s not the issue that is dominating the news.”
McCain appeared exasperated with all the questions about Flynn and the administration’s missteps, and at one point, he hugged a reporter for asking about another topic, defense spending.
The Senate Armed Services Committee chairman also reiterated that the White House is in “disarray” on national security, which needs to be fixed.
McCain had been a longtime defender of Flynn’s, and had cited him as one of the positive forces in the Trump administration, along with Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly.
