“Many of us wish we had the courage to have played the role John McCain played,” said Connie Mack III, a Florida Republican who entered the House with Mr. McCain in 1983 and later served with him in the Senate. 2 at the Justice Department and the official responsible for the special counsel inquiry; the chief of staff, John F. Kelly; the president’s counselor, Kellyanne Conway; and a retinue of national security officials whose ties to Mr. McCain go much deeper than with Mr. Trump. Many on hand stole glimpses of the Trump officials as the ceremony proceeded. “What a lot of drama,” said one current senator who preferred not to be named discussing the atmospherics of such a solemn event. But that was another aspect of the service that would have appealed to Mr. McCain, himself the instigator of much Capitol Hill drama over the years.

Source: New York Times August 31, 2018 21:19 UTC