Sen. John McCain doing well post-surgery
WASHINGTON — Sen. John McCain of Arizona is “sounding strong” as he recovers from surgery to remove a blood clot above his eye, his closest Republican colleague in the Senate said Monday.
“They found the spot and it looks like everything is going to be A-OK,” South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham told reporters after speaking to McCain. “He wants to come back so bad he can’t stand it. I think they won’t let him fly for a week. But I think he would walk back if they would let him.”
McCain, 80, underwent surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona last Friday. Doctors said the senator had a “minimally invasive” procedure to remove the nearly 2-inch clot and that the surgery went “very well.”
McCain was recuperating at his home in Arizona. Pathology reports on the clot were expected in the next several days.
The surgery forced Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to delay a vote on the Republican health care bill, another setback for the effort to repeal and replace Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act.
Other senators said they spoke to McCain, and President Donald Trump wished him a speedy recovery.
“We hope John McCain gets better very soon. Because we miss him. He’s a crusty voice in Washington. Plus we need his vote,” Trump said at a trade event.
McConnell, who spoke to McCain, called him a “tough guy.”
But the response on Twitter from a committeewoman with the Republican National Committee prompted condemnation from the organization.
The RNC assailed a member who shared a social media post encouraging McCain to “just die already.”
The message came Monday from Republican national committeewoman Diana Orrock of Nevada. Orrock tweeted, “Amen,” in response to another Twitter user who had written, “Please Just (expletive) Die Already” above the hashtag “JohnMcCain”.
Republican National Committee spokesman Ryan Mahoney called Orrock’s tweet “extremely inappropriate.”
“Senator McCain is a hero who made countless sacrifices on behalf of all Americans. We look forward to his speedy recovery so he can return to the Senate and the work of the American people,” Mahoney said.