The White House requested a Navy ship bearing the name of US President Donald Trump’s late rival senator John McCain be kept “out of sight” during a recent presidential trip to Japan, US media reported Wednesday.
The request came from an official who said he had been briefed on requirements for the visit by the White House Military Office and the Seventh Fleet, which is stationed in Japan.
“USS John McCain needs to be out of sight,” the email seen by the Wall Street Journal said. “Please confirm #3 will be satisfied,” it added, referring to the request.
The order apparently posed a conundrum because the ship was undergoing repairs and would have been difficult to move before Trump arrived on Tuesday to deliver a speech on a neighboring ship.
In response, a tarpaulin was hung over the ship’s name, which also refers to McCain’s father and grandfather, the Journal said. The tarpaulin was removed before Trump arrived, but a barge was moved closer to the ship, blocking the view of its name.
Contacted by AFP, a spokesman for the Seventh Fleet said that photos showing a tarp over the name of the ship were from Friday and that the barge was moved out of the way on Saturday, days before Trump’s visit.
“All ships remained in normal configuration during the President’s visit,” Commander Clay Doss said.
The New York Times however cited two Navy sailors as saying sailors from the McCain were not invited to hear Trump speak, unlike those serving on other US warships at the base.
And when several showed up anyway, wearing uniforms bearing the name of the ship, they were turned away, the newspaper reported.
The Journal said acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan was aware of the concern about the ship’s name and “approved measures to ensure it didn’t interfere with the president’s visit.”
Source: AFP
