“When brought to senior Navy leaders’ attention, direct guidance was given to keep the ships in normal configurations,” a Navy official said. The Wall…
“When brought to senior Navy leaders’ attention, direct guidance was given to keep the ships in normal configurations,” a Navy official said.
The Wall Street Journalfirst reported that the White House Military Office had asked that the ship be hidden during Trump’s visit and that a tarp and a barge was placed to obscure the ship’s name. The story sparked outrage from Trump’s critics, including from the late senator’s daughter, that the president would make such a request.
Shortly after, Trump said he was not informed about “anything” having to do with the McCain. The Navy also put out a statement stating that the McCain was not obscured during Trump’s visit to Yokosuka:
The WSJ report also said that Acting Defense Secretary Pat Shanahan was “aware of the concern about the presence of the USS John McCain in Japan and approved measures to ensure it didn’t interfere with the president’s visit.”
Hours later, Army Lt. Col. Joe Buccino, a spokesman for Shanahan, said 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.”
CNBC published alleged email correspondence by a U. S. Indo-Pacific Command official reflecting a conversation between the White House Military Office and the Navy’s 7th Fleet in advance of the president’s trip. It said, “USS John McCain needs to be out of sight.”
A Navy spokesman for 7th Fleet, Cmdr. Clayton Doss, later said in a statement, “All ships remained in their normal configuration during the President’s visit.”Two Navy officials, speaking to Breitbart News on background on Thursday, denied that the tarp or the barge was related to the alleged White House Military Office request.
The officials said a white tarp was put on the McCain‘s stern from late Friday, May 24, to Saturday morning, May 25, as part of “preservation and maintenance.
