Kelli Ward, who is running in the Republican primary this week to replace Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) in Washington, implied Saturday that the late Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) decision on Friday to discontinue medical treatment for his severe brain cancer — or the media coverage thereof — was purposefully timed to create “a particular narrative that they hope is negative to me.”
It wasn’t immediately clear whether the Trump-aligned, alt-right-catering Arizona Senate candidate was referring to the McCain family or the media.
Hours after the comment, McCain died.
KPNX’s Brahm Resnik captured Ward’s comment, which came in response to a Ward staffer’s Facebook post, in a screenshot:
WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?@kelliwardaz staffer: I wonder if John McCain’s trying to steal attention from Ward’s bus tour by announcing his life is coming to an end.
Ward: Yup, it’s all about me. #AZSEN pic.twitter.com/AXKAOhKYkU— BrahmResnik (@brahmresnik) August 25, 2018
Ward subsequently asserted: “It’s not the McCains creating a narrative – it’s the media making something out of nothing.”
@kelliwardaz deleted that comment on the FB thread. She has now posted this comment, blaming the media. pic.twitter.com/EYozlaLRzT
— BrahmResnik (@brahmresnik) August 25, 2018
McCain’s “decades of service will not be forgotten by the men & women of Arizona,” Ward wrote on Twitter Saturday. “May God grant the McCain family comfort and peace during this difficult time.”
We are saddened to hear of the passing of @SenJohnMcCain. His decades of service will not be forgotten by the men & women of Arizona. May God grant the McCain family comfort and peace during this difficult time.
— Dr. Kelli Ward (@kelliwardaz) August 26, 2018