Washington (CNN) White House aides drafted a fulsome statement for President Donald Trump on the death of Sen. John McCain, but it was never sent out, a person familiar with the matter confirmed to CNN. Several staff members believed the official White House statement, which went through an internal approval process, would be released at the time of the Arizona Republican's death, which occurred on Saturday. But as the President spent Sunday at his Virginia golf course, the statement never went out, the source said. White House aides did not make plans for a televised statement on McCain's passing, which would have been routine under similar circumstances in other recent presidencies. The Washington Post reported Sunday that Trump went against the advice of senior aides to issue an official White House statement praising McCain for his heroism and decades of service, telling aides he instead wanted to post a brief tweet..Trump's tweet Saturday night did not mention his military or Senate service or include any praise for the late Arizona Republican.

Source: CNN August 27, 2018 01:34 UTC