Politics

Trump Says He Had No Knowledge Of ‘Well-Meaning’ Request To Cover USS McCain

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Shelby Talcott Senior White House Correspondent
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President Donald Trump told reporters Thursday morning that he had no knowledge of a “well-meaning” request to keep the USS John McCain out of view during his recent trip to Japan.

The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that a White House official asked the U.S. Navy to move the USS McCain “out of sight” before Trump’s visit to Japan. A May 15 email from a U.S. Indo-Pacific Command official to U.S. Navy and Air Force officials outlined plans for Trump’s Japan visit, including a request saying that the “USS John McCain needs to be out of sight,” WSJ reported.

“I don’t know what happened,” Trump said in reply to reporters Thursday morning. “I wasn’t involved, I would not have done that.”

“Now, somebody did it because they thought I didn’t like him [late Arizona Sen. John McCain],” Trump added. “Okay, and they were well-meaning, I will say. I didn’t know anything about it. I would never have done that.”

Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan denied knowing anything about the reported request while talking to reporters Thursday en route to Indonesia. He said that he will investigate the reports.

“What I read this morning was the first I heard about it,” he said. “I never authorized, I never approved any action around the movement or activities regarding that ship.”

Trump told reporters Thursday that he was not a fan of McCain, and “we’ll probably be able to figure out who did it. They thought they were doing me a favor because they know I am not a fan of John McCain.” (RELATED: Mueller Pulls A Comey – Then Runs Away)

“But certainly I couldn’t care less whether or not there’s a boat named after his father.”

WSJ reported that a tarp covering the ship’s name was seen in photos ahead of Trump’s visit, and sailors who typically wear caps bearing the ship’s name were given the day off during Trump’s Memorial Day visit.

Three Navy officials stated that there was no tarp that covered the ship when Trump was there, according to CNN. These Navy officials said that the WSJ saw a photo taken on May 24, and that the tarp was removed the next day.

“We didn’t do anything to obstruct the name of the ship,” a third U.S. Navy official told CNN.

Navy Cmdr. Clay Doss, a U.S. Seventh Fleet spokesman, said that the paint barge that could have obscured the ship’s name was also removed before the visit, CNN reported. Additionally, the U.S. Navy’s chief of information tweeted Wednesday night stating that the USS McCain name had been visible.

The president tweeted about the situation Wednesday, saying that he was not informed about the request and that he “loved being with our great Military Men and Women.”

Meghan McCain, John McCain’s daughter, also tweeted about the situation Wednesday.

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