Last week we told you, Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan is ordering an investigation into reports that the White House took extraordinary steps to keep the USS John McCain hidden during President Trump's recent visit to Japan.
The results are in – and the Navy confirms that indeed, the White House did make such a request. They also maintain it wasn’t granted. According to a statement from Rear Adm.Charlie Brown, Chief of Navy Information, “A request was made to the U.S. Navy to minimize the visibility of USS John S. McCain, however, all ships remained in their normal configuration during the President’s visit.”
Either way, the White House is calling it all much ado about nothing. Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney is defending the decision to make the request. He tells NBC's “Meet The Press”that it “probably came from somebody in the advance team” that told the Navy to hide the ship based on President Trump's thoughts over the late Arizona senator. Trump has said he did not know about the request, but that whomever did “was probably well-meaning.”
Source:USA Today