McCain ends cancer treatment

WASHINGTON — Sen. John McCain of Arizona has discontinued medical treatment for an aggressive form of brain cancer, his family said Friday.

The war hero, presidential nominee and longtime leading lawmaker has surpassed expectations for survival, but “the progress of disease and the inexorable advance of age render their verdict,” the family said. “With his usual strength of will, he has now chosen to discontinue medical treatment.”

The six-term GOP senator, who is set to turn 82 next week, has been away from the Capitol since December. If he should resign his seat or die soon, Republican Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey would name a replacement to serve until the 2020 election. The winner of that election would serve the remainder of McCain’s term through 2022.

In more than three decades in Congress, McCain became known as a political maverick willing to stick to his convictions rather than go along with party leaders — an independent streak that has drawn a mix of respect and ire.

Most recently, he has been a thorn in the side of President Donald Trump, keeping up his criticism of the White House even while undergoing strenuous medical treatment in Arizona.

In July, he issued a rebuke of Trump’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling it a “tragic mistake” and “one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory.”

The strained relationship between Trump and McCain dates back to 2015, when Trump suggested the Vietnam veteran, who spent more than five years in a North Vietnamese prison after his Navy plane was shot down, was not a war hero.

The ill will grew after McCain voted in 2017 against a Republican replacement for the 2010 health care law. He doomed the bill with a dramatic thumbs-down on the Senate floor. Complaints about McCain’s vote have become a staple of Trump’s campaign speeches. He doesn’t mention McCain by name but makes clear his intent by mockingly imitating the thumbs-down gesture.

The discord between the two men has persisted even during the decline in McCain’s health. While political leaders of both parties paid tribute to McCain and offered prayers Friday, Trump and the White House remained silent.

Earlier this month, Trump signed a military policy bill named for McCain, but he made no mention of McCain at a signing ceremony.