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Trump Denies Knowledge of Military Effort to Hide USS John McCain

posted onMay 30, 2019
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Article snippet: “I was not informed about anything having to do with the Navy Ship USS John S. McCain during my recent visit to Japan,” Trump wrote on Twitter. “Nevertheless, the first lady and I loved being with our great Military Men and Women – what a spectacular job they do!” he wrote. Leaked emails between the White House Military Office and the Navy Seventh Fleet showed the White House working to make sure that the ship did not interfere with the president’s visit, according to the Wall Street Journal. A source identified as a “U.S. official” claimed that  Acting Defence Secretary Patrick Shanahan knew about the effort to hide the ship, but the Pentagon denied the story in a statement. “Secretary Shanahan was not aware of the directive to move the USS John S McCain nor was he aware of the concern precipitating the directive,” a spokesman told reporters. Sailors aboard the ship reportedly received the day off while sailors on some of the other ships attended Trump’s speech aboard the USS Wasp. The USS John S. McCain is named after John McCain Sr., not John McCain Jr. – the senator who deeply vexed President Donald Trump before McCain’s death in August 2018. The Navy reportedly covered the ship with a tarp and moved a barge in front of the ship to hide it, while it was being repaired. The Wall Street Journal reviewed photos of the ship. But a spokesperson for the U.S. Pacific Fleet told NBC News that the photo in the Wall Street Journal article was from Friday and the tarp w... Link to the full article to read more

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