CNN reported that Kelly Sadler, the White House communications aide who back in May allegedly made a headline-grabbing remark about Senator John McCain’s brain cancer diagnosis, was let go from her job on Tuesday, according to a White House official.
McCain announced he’d been diagnosed with brain cancer in July. Sadler’s comment was made in response to a statement McCain issued on May 9, calling on the Senate to reject Gina Haspel’s nomination to the directorship of the CIA, on the grounds that in testimony she had refused to admit to “torture’s immorality.” Sadler reportedly remarked during an internal meeting on May 10 that McCain’s opposition “doesn’t matter, he’s dying anyway.”
The official who spoke to CNN said that Sadler’s comment was meant as a joke “but it fell flat.” In the initial aftermath of Sadler’s remark, the White House did not condemn her words, nor did she issue a public apology
The White House confirmed, in a brief statement, that Sadler is “No longer employed within the Executive Office of the President.”