Vice President Mike Pence told mourners at a ceremony for Sen. John McCain that President Trump, who frequently sparred with the Arizonan, genuinely respects the late senator’s service to the country.
Mr. Pence, who represented the White House at a Capitol ceremony dotted by members of Congress, lauded Mr. McCain’s continuous service to the nation, morphing from a military combatant to a statesman whose imprint is still felt in the halls of power.
“For 35 years, John served in these very halls under this very dome, and he fought for what he believed in,” Mr. Pence said from the Rotunda, where Mr. McCain is lying in state.
Like others, Mr. Pence — a former congressman — said he didn’t always see eye to eye with Mr. McCain. And when that happened, the senator “almost always noticed,” he quipped.
Mr. McCain clashed with Mr. Trump during the campaign, when the president questioned the senator’s status as a hero during the Vietnam War.
And Mr. Trump frequently blasted Mr. McCain — if not by name — for turning back GOP hopes for an Obamacare repeal bill.
SEE ALSO: Mitch McConnell: John McCain was either ‘your staunchest ally’ or ‘most stubborn opponent’
Yet Mr. Pence lauded Mr. McCain’s commitment to GOP principles, including limited government and the recent tax-reform bill.
“We will ever remember that John McCain served his country, and John McCain served his country honorably,” Mr. Pence said.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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