President Trump has unleashed a series of new attacks on the late John McCain in recent days, seven months after the senator's death, and Sen. Joni Ernst on Thursday became the latest Republican to criticize him for it. "He does need to stop that," said Ernst when asked about the controversy, reports the Des Moines Register. "John McCain is a war hero, he's a friend of mine," she said. "I can't stop the president. What I can do is say, 'Mr. President, I don't appreciate it.' You know, they had their differences, I get it, but he's my friend." Details and developments:
- The history: Trump's latest attacks began over the weekend, apparently after he saw a report on McCain's role in getting the infamous Steele dossier into the hands of the FBI. But his disdain of McCain goes way back, and USA Today has the details. As early as 2000, Trump wondered why McCain was considered a war hero given that he was captured. Trump would echo the remarks during the 2016 campaign. The two traded criticisms throughout the campaign, with McCain saying that Trump had "fired up the crazies."
- Another daughter: Meghan McCain has been prominent in pushing back against Trump, but youngest daughter Bridget McCain also took to Twitter on Thursday in a rare public move, notes the Washington Post. “Everyone doesn’t have to agree with my dad or like him, but I do ask you to be decent and respectful,” she wrote. “If you can’t do those two things, be mindful. We only said goodbye to him almost 7 months ago." It was one of her several tweets on the matter.