Amid the fallout, Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, called Australia\u2019s Ambassador to the U. S. Joe Hockey Thursday morning, according to a statement from his office. McCain said that the U. S. and Australia have struggled and sacrificed together in World War I, World War II, and the wars in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. He called the relationship between the two nations \u201cmore important than ever\u201d as they fight against \u201cradical Islamic terrorism\u201d and try to maintain security and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region.
\u201cIn short, Australia is one of America\u2019s oldest friends and staunchest allies. We are united by ties of family and friendship, mutual interests and common values, and shared sacrifice in wartime,\u201d McCain said.
\u201cIn that spirit, I called Australia\u2019s Ambassador to the United States this morning to express my unwavering support for the U. S.-Australia alliance. I asked Ambassador Hockey to convey to the people of Australia that their American brothers and sisters value our historic alliance, honor the sacrifice of the Australians who have served and are serving by our side, and remain committed to the safer, freer, and better world that Australia does far more than its fair share to protect and promote.\u201d
#Australia is 1 of US’s oldest friends & allies — called Aus Amb to US to express my unwavering support for alliance https:\/\/t.co\/ODQeEpoA3H
The phone call came after The Washington Post reported late Wednesday that the Mr. Trump spoke to Turnbull last Saturday and slammed him a deal that was struck under the Obama administration that would allow mostly Muslim refugees rejected by Australia to be resettled in the U. S. (the president also complained about the refugee deal over Twitter after the Post article was published). Mr. Trump also was said to have abruptly ended what was supposed to be an hour-long call after just 25 minutes. It was one of a series of calls with foreign leaders Mr. Trump had made that day, and according to the Post, he declared to Turnbull, \u201cThis was the worst call by far,\u201d the report said.
Neither the White House nor Turnbull are commenting on the reports.
On Capitol Hill Thursday, Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, was asked to comment about the situation, but said he didn\u2019t know \u201cabout the veracity of those reports.\u201d He described Australia as a \u201cvery essential ally,\u201d but added that it\u2019s important for leaders of two countries to have candid and private conversations with one another.
Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tennessee, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he didn\u2019t know enough about the conversation to discuss it and blasted the fact that the contents of the call were leaked.
\u201cI think leaks like that are certainly totally unacceptable. I\u2019d pretty livid if a conversation I had was leaked. But I don\u2019t know anything about the substance at all other than what\u2019s been reported,\u201d he said.
Corker added that he didn\u2019t know anything about the refugee deal, but said, \u201cGenerally speaking, it\u2019s important for continuity when agreements are made between allies….on the other hand this could be one of those things that are so out of line and so bad that maybe it needs to be looked at.\u201d
Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Maryland, the top Democrat on Foreign Relations, told reporters, \u201cAustralia is a close friend of the United States. The prime minister is an easy going guy. I\u2019ve had conversations with him…it\u2019s disappointing to hear the press accounts.\u201d
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-New Hampshire, tweeted about the reports Thursday morning.
This is no way to speak to one of our closest allies https:\/\/t.co\/FiAVay0qAg<\/p>\n

\n

\nSimilarity rank: 11.9\n<\/div>\n

Sentiment rank: 0<\/div>\n

\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n