John McCain Calls Trump's Transgender Ban Tweet 'Unclear,' Not 'Appropriate'

John McCain, after criticizing the Senate‘s ability to come to an agreement on health care on Tuesday, is now criticizing President Trump’s new ban on transgender people serving in the military. McCain called Trump’s tweeted announcement “unclear” and said it was not “appropriate” to change policy without a “thorough” review by “our Secretary of Defense, our military leadership and the Congress.”

Also Read: GLAAD Condemns Trump's New Military Ban: 'Direct Attack on Transgender Americans'

“The President’s tweet this morning regarding transgender Americans in the military is yet another example of why major policy announcements should not be made via Twitter,” the Arizona senator said in a statement.

McCain also said that “Any American who meets current medical and readiness standards should be allowed to continue serving.

“There is no reason to force service members who are able to fight, train, and deploy to leave the military–regardless of their gender identity.”

Any American who meets current medical & readiness standards should be allowed to continue serving – my full stmt: https://t.co/6rHm5OWQzc

— John McCain (@SenJohnMcCain) July 26, 2017

Also Read: Trump's Awkward Timing: Harry Truman Desegregated US Military 69 Years Ago Today

“We should all be guided by the principle that any American who wants to serve our country and is able to meet the standards should have the opportunity to do so–and should be treated as the patriots they are,” the statement went on.

McCain returned to the Senate floor for the first time since being diagnosed with brain cancer on Tuesday to add his vote to the decision on whether to open a debate about the GOP’s health care bill. Vice President Mike Pence ended up breaking a tie vote; McCain voted yes, according to the New York Times.

Also Read: Chelsea Manning Blasts Trump's Transgender Military Ban: 'Sounds Like Cowardice'

McCain’s own status as a veteran is well-known. He was a prisoner of war in Vietnam and is considered a hero by many, though Trump has previously criticized McCain’s war record. “He’s not a war hero,” Trump said in 2015. “He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured.”

You can read McCain’s full statement here.

Trump Scandals: Every Investigation Facing the White House So Far (Photos)

From the get-go, Donald Trump's presidency has been loaded up with scandals that have enraged his Democrat opponents and challenged the willingness of Beltway Republicans to stand by him. The growing pile of federal investigations and news reports reached a boiling point with Trump's firing of James Comey. In case you can't keep everything straight, here's what's happened so far and who in Trump's circle is being investigated.
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Paul Manafort: Trump's former campaign chair is currently being investigated as part of the FBI's look into potential connections between Trump's campaign and Russia's attempt to sway the presidential election. The Justice Department has subpoenaed Manafort's bank records to look for potential payments that he might have received from Russia during the campaign.

Also Read: Trump’s Former Campaign Boss Paul Manafort Secretly Worked to ‘Benefit the Putin Government’ (Report)
From NBC
Carter Page: The Washington Post reported in April that the FBI had obtained a warrant to monitor Trump's former campaign adviser as part of their Russia investigation. A dossier compiled by a former British intelligence officer and cited by House Dem Adam Schiff claimed that Page had met with Russian business executives linked to Putin during a visit to Moscow in July 2016.

Also Read: Former Trump Adviser Carter Page Was Being Monitored by FBI (Report)
From CNN
Michael Flynn: A retired three-star general, Flynn was selected as Trump's first national security adviser before he was fired in February. The dismissal came after it was discovered Flynn lied to Vice President Mike Pence about his interactions with Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak. The scandal surrounding Flynn deepened after the House Oversight Committee said they had reason to believe Flynn received payments from the Russian and Turkish governments.

Also Read: DC Whiplash: Prosecutors Issue Grand Jury Subpoenas to Michael Flynn’s Associates (Report)
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Conflicts of Interest: Since winning the election, ethics experts have criticized Trump for failing to provide a sufficient plan for addressing conflicts of interest between his presidency and his many business interests, whom he has handed over to his sons, Donald and Eric. The White House also faced criticism when senior adviser Kellyanne Conway promoted Ivanka Trump's merchandise on Fox News. The State Department also deleted a blog post promoting Trump's Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago. Trump has at least one lawsuit claiming he has violated the Emoluments Clause, which forbids the president from receiving foreign money through his businesses, something POTUS' critics say he can do by having foreign officials stay at his hotels.
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Russia Oval Office Visit: The Washington Post reported that Trump disclosed a highly classified intelligence to Russian officials during a White House visit, handing over a source that provided the U.S. with information on ISIS. The disclosure has reportedly frustrated the intelligence community, with whom the president has established a tense relationship.

Also Read: Trump Admits Sharing Terrorism Intel With Russia: 'I Have the Absolute Right'
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Jeff Sessions: After admitting he had not disclosed meetings with a Russian ambassador during the election to Congress, the former Alabama senator and current Attorney General recused himself from any investigations into Trump-Russia connections. After Comey's firing, 11 Senate Democrats, including Elizabeth Warren, asked the Justice Dept. to investigate whether Sessions had violated his recusal pledge after Trump announced he had consulted Sessions on firing the FBI director.
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James Comey: The former FBI Director Comey has claimed that Trump asked to end the bureau's investigation into Michael Flynn in private meetings that have raised concerns about possible obstruction of justice -- especially since the president's team gave conflicting accounts of the reasoning for Comey's dismissal in May.

Also Read: Where Are the Republican Lawmakers, White House Surrogates to Defend Trump on TV Since Comey Memo Broke?
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The first four months of Trump’s presidency have been loaded with scandal

From the get-go, Donald Trump's presidency has been loaded up with scandals that have enraged his Democrat opponents and challenged the willingness of Beltway Republicans to stand by him. The growing pile of federal investigations and news reports reached a boiling point with Trump's firing of James Comey. In case you can't keep everything straight, here's what's happened so far and who in Trump's circle is being investigated.

View In Gallery

Trump Scandals: Every Investigation Facing the White House So Far (Photos)

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