White House 'asked Navy to hide warship USS John S. McCain'

[nitpicker]

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-48456742

White House 'asked Navy to hide warship USS John S. McCain'

1 hour ago

The White House asked for a warship named after Donald Trump's late rival, Senator John McCain, to be obscured during the president's trip to Japan, several reports have claimed.

Plans to move the USS John S. McCain out of view are said to have later been scrapped by senior Navy officials.

Mr Trump denied making the request, tweeting that he "was not informed about anything" related to the ship.

The Navy Chief of Information also posted to say it "was not obscured". The tweet - its first in five years - added that "the Navy is proud of that ship, its crew, its namesake and its heritage". However, the statement did not deny that an initial request was made.
(snip)

[nitpicker]

1. ((They reactivated the CHINFO Twitter account to respond to tweets on this))

https://twitter.com/chinfo?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

Navy Chief of Information?Verified account @chinfo · 20m20 minutes ago

So, ummm... Hey! We're back! (I was told I should have led with that). I have re-activated this account to help us share info with the public about our @USNavy. If you aren't interested in what America's Navy is doing or our Sailors, then it is about to get less exciting for you


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Rory Cooper?Verified account @rorycooper · 9h9 hours ago


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John McCain Sr, John ‘Jack’ McCain Jr, and John McCain III. 🇺🇸


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Navy Chief of Information?Verified account @chinfo · 2h2 hours ago


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Really thought I’d get to use, “New CHINFO, who dis?” But probably not the right time for that. Short story: this acct used to be run by @johnfkirby63. He’s retired from both here and @PentagonPresSec. Reactivating the account to try to help share info about @USNavy



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Navy Chief of Information?Verified account @chinfo · 8h8 hours ago


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The name of USS John S. McCain was not obscured during the POTUS visit to Yokosuka on Memorial Day. The Navy is proud of that ship, its crew, its namesake and its heritage.

((older tweets ended in 2014))

[nitpicker]

2. Link to CNN ((WaPo and WSJ behind paywalls))

https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/30/politics/uss-john-mccain-japan-white-house-navy-trump/index.html

White House Military Office, Navy officials emailed about moving USS John McCain

(CNN) — The White House Military Office and lower-level US Navy officials exchanged emails about moving the Navy warship the USS John McCain ahead of President Donald Trump's recent Japan visit, according to two Navy officials.

"There were emails between lower-level officers, but once leadership heard about it, they said knock it off," a senior Navy official tells CNN. The White House Military Office provides military support for White House functions, including food service, presidential transportation, medical support and emergency medical services and hospitality services.

The Wall Street Journal first reported Wednesday the conversations about moving the ship, which was first named for the late US senator's father and grandfather. Trump spoke to troops at a Memorial Day event aboard the USS Wasp in Yokosuka, Japan.
(snip)

The Journal reported Wednesday that a tarp was put in place to cover the ship's name since it could not be moved due to repairs. Three Navy officials pushed back on this claim and told CNN there was no tarp covering the ship's name when Trump was there.

"We didn't do anything to obstruct the name of the ship. The Wall Street Journal piece refers to a photo of a tarp covering the ship, that photo was taken Friday, May 24, the tarp was removed the following day," a third US Navy official told CNN. The official said they had not seen the emails in question, but was adamant nothing had been done to obscure the ship.

Doss told CNN that he could confirm "that the picture of the Tarp is from Friday and it was taken down on Saturday. Paint barge was also removed ahead of the visit." And Joe Buccino, a spokesman for acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan, told CNN that the secretary "was not aware of the directive to move the USS John S McCain nor was he aware of the concern precipitating the directive."

Officials pushed back on the Journal's reporting that a barge had been moved so as to obscure the name of the ship. One official said "the barge had been there regularly. At one angle, you might not have seen the ship's name, but the name was visible at all times." The US Navy's chief of information, Rear Adm. Charlie Brown, also tweeted Wednesday night that the name had been visible.
(snip)

[Scarsdale]

4. O.M.G.!

We KNOW tRump never matured, but this is disgusting. Do the staff have to do these things to avoid a temper tantrum? tRump really needs to go, he looks exhausted probably from too much tweeting. Either that, or too much Adderall. Whatever it is he is not and never was "presidential material". This once proud country deserves SO much better than this clown in office.

[Tarc]

12. "The White House Military Office and lower-level US Navy officials exchanged emails"

Such e-mails would be subject to the Presidential Records Act?

[SkyDaddy7]

15. Yeah right...

This administration doesn't give two squirts of piss about preserving emails or anything else...We already know many of them have been busted using private email & WhatsApp!

...We were all told in 2016 unless you're a DEMOCRATIC WOMAN using private email/server then the Republic is NOT under potentially the most catastrophic threat worse than the NAZIs, Soviet Union & BENGHAZI!!!! all put together!

[nitpicker]

3. More from the BBC article

(snip)
Quoting anonymous Navy officials, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and the Washington Post newspapers and Reuters news agency all reported that the White House asked for the ship to be obscured during the visit.

The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the claims, cited an email between US military officials which said that the ship "needs to be out of sight".

The New York Times also reported that the warship's crew members, who have "USS John S McCain" on their caps, were sent home for the long weekend, along with the crew from another ship.

When some of them turned up to watch the speech anyway, the paper added, they were turned away.
(snip)

[no_hypocrisy]

5. So, that means Trump wanted the warship John McCain out of his sight, yet

the sailors on the ship he "inspected" had MAGA patches on their uniforms, against military code. (Wasps)

https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/29/politics/navy-review-trump-patches/index.html


PLUS, that's another unnecessary expenditure to move a warship away from where the Navy and the Pentagon had it originally stationed and then move it back after Trump left.

[mnmoderatedem]

6. so I guess we can expect angry reaction from right wingers who support our military

or not.

[rickyhall]

7. The "Toddler in Chief" should be committed to an asylum!

[pazzyanne]

17. Just finished watching his news presser this am.

I couldn't watch the whole thing because of the blatant, nonstop lies he was spouting. His accusations against EVERYONE were so off the wall that I just couldn't. I was even praying for a tRump heart attack on camera this morning. I don't like myself when I do that, but I dislike him even more!

[watoos]

8. Any truth to the rumors that the sailors

also wore Groucho glasses and mustaches?

[Kurt V.]

10. harpo had confirmed it. two honks for yes.

[keithbvadu2]

9. The tarp was removed - AFTER it was put in place to hide the name of the ship.

The tarp was removed - AFTER it was put in place to hide the name of the ship.

They changed their minds but did actually do it.

Sailors have to be ashamed of their command because it might hurt the fee fees of Donald.

While Trump honors the military that killed thousands of our troops by saying "Happy Memorial Day" to sailors on a Japanese ship.

[nitpicker]

11. Pentagon spin machine springing into action

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/446088-pentagon-shanahan-unaware-of-directive-to-move-uss-john-s-mccain

Pentagon: Shanahan unaware of directive to move USS John S. McCain during Trump visit

By Morgan Gstalter - 05/30/19 07:15 AM EDT

A spokesperson for the Pentagon said early Thursday morning that acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan had not been aware that the White House asked the U.S. Navy to make sure the USS John McCain was “out of sight” for President Trump’s visit to Japan.

"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,” Lt. Colonel Joe Buccino said in a statement.

Shanahan told Defense One that he has directed his chief of staff to look into the incident because he never authorized any “action around the movement of activity regarding that ship.”

“Furthermore, I would never dishonor the memory of a great American patriot like Sen. McCain,” Shanahan said. “I would never disrespect the young men and women that crew that ship.“

The Pentagon’s response contradicts an initial report by The Wall Street Journal that said Shanahan and other officers were aware of the White House’s concern.
(snip)

[zipplewrath]

13. His Father

The ship was named after his FATHER, John S. McCain Sr. Otherwise known as ADMIRAL.

[Docreed2003]

16. Sort of...

Technically, the ship is named for Sen McCain, his father, and his grandfather.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_John_S._McCain_(DDG-56)

[RVN VET71]

14. Gives new meaning to the rank of Chief "Petty" Officer

[pdsimdars]

18. A man with his priorities on the BIG issues . . . waaaa, waaaa, he said something bad about me