President Trump says that he believes torture works, saying that “we have to fight fire with fire,” the AP reports.
He said that radical groups “chop off the citizens’ or anybody’s heads in the Middle East” while “we’re not allowed to do anything. We’re not playing on an even field.”
Meanwhile, Politico quotes Sen. John McCain (R-AZ): “We’re not bringing back torture.”
“I do not know, because he has made so many comments that are contradictory.”
— Sen. John McCain, in an interview on ABC News, when asked if he has confidence in President Trump.
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) told Morning Joe that Russian president Vladimir Putin poses a greater threat to the United States than ISIS.
Said McCain: “I think when you look at Russian increasing capabilities and, by the way, they are closing the gap as far as military capabilities is concerned rather dramatically between themselves and the United States. And that should alarm us all. But look at his behavior, look at what he has – what he has done. He has made no bones about what he wants to do. And he’s done it, but he’s played a very weak hand in the most clever fashion. He’s got the world’s 15th largest economy and yet he’s now a major player in the Middle East.”
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“John McCain and Lindsey Graham have spent the past eight years chiding President Barack Obama’s foreign policy, sarcastically calling the president naïve when it comes to world affairs and regularly grilling his Cabinet members at congressional hearings. Now, it’s Donald Trump’s turn to be the target,” Politico reports.
“McCain and Graham, the maverick partners on an array of issues, will take the stage Thursday on the matter of cyberthreats to the United States broadly, and Russian interference in the U.S. election specifically. And, true to form, neither is likely to pull punches — never mind that a member of their own party who has repeatedly downplayed the notion that Russian meddling might have aided his campaign is about to be sworn in as president.”
The Hill: Five things to watch for in today’s hearings
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) renewed his call for the creation of a select committee to investigate possible Russian cyberattacks to influence the American election, the New York Times reports.
Said McCain: “The responsibilities for cyber is spread over about four different committees in the Senate, and each doing their own thing, frankly, is not going to be the most efficient way of arriving at a conclusion. This is serious business.”
Sen. John McCain told Reuters that he personally backs Washington’s decades-old “one China” policy and that no one should “leap to conclusions” that President-elect Donald Trump would abandon it.
Said McCain: “I do not respond to every comment by the president-elect because it may be reversed the next day.”
“I don’t know what Mr. Tillerson’s relationship with Vladimir Putin was, but I’ll tell you it is a matter of concern to me. You want to give the president of the United States the benefit of the doubt because the people have spoken. But Vladimir Putin is a thug, a bully and a murderer, and anybody else who describes him as anything else is lying.”
— Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), quoted by Politico, on the expected nomination of Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State.
“I’m not talking about Trump. I’m not talking about Trump. I’m not talking about Trump. I’m not talking about Trump.”
— Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), quoted by CNN.
“I have not been commenting on Mr. Trump and I will continue not to comment on Mr. Trump.”
— Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), when asked by CNN about Donald Trump’s call to revoke citizenship for flag-burners.
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) issued a fiery warning to President-elect Donald Trump on the subject of torture, Politico reports.
Said McCain: “I don’t give a damn what the president of the United States wants to do. We will not waterboard. We will not torture people… It doesn’t work.”
Anyone who tries to resume torture, McCain said would find themselves in court “in a New York minute.”
Donald Trump attacked John McCain, calling him “foul-mouthed” and claiming credit for the Arizona senator’s primary win, Politico reports.
Tweeted Trump: “The very foul mouthed Sen. John McCain begged for my support during his primary (I gave, he won), then dropped me over locker room remarks!”
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said it as “not pleasant” to dump his party’s nominee as his challenger, Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-AZ), berated McCain during a debate more than 60 times for endorsing Trump, Politico reports.
Said McCain: “When Mr. Trump attacks women and demeans the women in our nation and in our society, that is a point where I just have to part company. It’s not pleasant for me to renounce the nominee of our party. He won the nomination fair and square. But this is – I have daughters. I have friends. I have so many wonderful people on my staff. They cannot be degraded and demeaned in that fashion.'”
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) withdrew his support from Donald Trump in the wake of leaked tapes of Trump making lewd comments about groping women in 2005, Politico reports.
Said McCain: “Donald Trump’s behavior this week, concluding with the disclosure of his demeaning comments about women and his boasts about sexual assaults, make it impossible to continue to offer even conditional support for his candidacy.”
There are now 19 Republican U.S. Senators who either called for Trump to step down or said they won’t vote for him.
“After refusing to debate while running a slash and burn campaign devoid of actual ideas, I hope the senator can rest comfortably with his conscience as he continues to lecture others about civility.”
— Kelli Ward (R), quoted by the Arizona Republic, after losing her primary challenge to Sen. John McCain (R-AZ).
“The one thing you never want to do in politics is heighten expectations. You always want to lowball it. That’s just the best way to handle it. Plan for the worst and hope for the best.”
— Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), quoted by Politico, on his primary today.
Arizona U.S. Senate candidate Ann Kirkpatrick (D) released a devastating ad that ties Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) to his party’s presidential nominee.
Gov. Mike Pence declined to endorse Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) or Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) in their re-election bids while talking to reporters en route to a campaign stop in Virginia, NBC News reports.
Said Pence: “I look forward to supporting Republican candidates in the days and weeks ahead all over the country, and so does Donald Trump. But the stakes in this election are so high. To restore our country and home and abroad, we need new leadership, and I’m looking forward to standing should to shoulder with Donald Trump to drive that new leadership forward.”
Pence also said that he sees “eye to eye” with Donald Trump on their views of the Khan family, the current iteration of the Muslim ban and Russia’s alleged role in the hacking of DNC emails.
Donald Trump is refusing to back House Speaker Paul Ryan in his upcoming primary election, saying that he is “not quite there yet” in endorsing his party’s top-ranking elected official, the Washington Post reports.
In fact, Trump praised Ryan’s underdog opponent, Paul Nehlen, for running “a very good campaign.”
Said Trump: “I like Paul, but these are horrible times for our country. We need very strong leadership. We need very, very strong leadership. And I’m just not quite there yet. I’m not quite there yet.”
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.
Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.
Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.
Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.
Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.
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