Texas Rep. Gohmert says it’s time for maverick Sen. McCain to go
WASHINGTON—Rep. Louie Gohmert believes Arizona Sen. John McCain should be recalled while he battles brain cancer and so that the GOP can replace him with someone who will support the party’s latest effort to repeal the 2010 health care law.
“Nothing inhibits recovery from cancer like stress,” the Texas Republican told “Fox & Friends” Monday. “I think Arizona could help him, and us. Recall him, let him fight successfully this terrible cancer, and let’s get someone in here who will keep the word he gave last year.”
McCain said last week he would not support a bill sponsored by GOP Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Louisiana’s Bill Cassidy to roll back the American Care Act legislation that overhauled the health care code in 2010.
“He’s got cancer, it’s a tough battle,” Gohmert said. “But stress is a real inhibitor to getting over cancer. So let him go back, deal with the cancer, let Arizona recall him so that we can get somebody who will keep his word from last year.”
McCain, like most Republicans, has campaigned for the better part of a decade on repealing and replacing Democrats’ 2010 health care overhaul. But twice in the past two months he has effectively killed GOP efforts to do so.
In July, he voted “no” on the “skinny” repeal bill Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky put to a floor vote.)
“If he had said last year what he was going to do, Kelli Ward would have beat him,” Gohmert said, referring to the candidate who challenged McCain in the primary in 2016 and who is challenging Arizona Republican Sen. Jeff Flake in 2018.
Gohmert is not the first GOP lawmaker to connect McCain’s medical status to his opposition to Republican efforts to repeal and replace the 2010 health care overhaul.
In August, Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson caught flack after Republican senators’ repeal effort failed for suggesting McCain’s cancer could have affected his decision to cast a decisive “no” vote.
“Again, I’m not going to speak for John McCain—he has a brain tumor right now—that vote occurred at 1:30 in the morning, some of that might have factored in,” Johnson told a talk radio show in Chicago.
McCain spokeswoman Julie Tarallo was quick to criticize Johnson’s remarks.
“It is bizarre and deeply unfortunate that Sen. Johnson would question the judgment of a colleague and friend,” she said in a statement. “Sen. McCain has been very open and clear about the reasons for his vote.”
Johnson later walked back his comments.
McCain’s office could not be reached for comment on Gohmert’s comments.