{"id":23955,"date":"2019-05-30T10:54:30","date_gmt":"2019-05-30T17:54:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pwoodford.net\/blog\/?p=23955"},"modified":"2019-05-30T11:03:54","modified_gmt":"2019-05-30T18:03:54","slug":"out-of-sight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pwoodford.net\/blog\/?p=23955","title":{"rendered":"Out of Sight"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Screen<\/a>Yesterday’s\u00a0story about the Navy attempting to\u00a0hide the USS John S. McCain* during Trump\u2019s visit to Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan is still unfolding … affirming\u00a0my resolve to avoid commenting\u00a0on breaking news until the dust\u00a0has settled.<\/p>\n

This story tests my resolve, but the dust has at least begun to settle, so here goes:<\/p>\n

This is what was initially reported:\u00a0White House staff, coordinating Trump’s trip,\u00a0told the Navy that the “USS John McCain needs to be out of sight\u201d during\u00a0the visit. Navy officials at Yokosuka draped the stern of the\u00a0destroyer with a tarp\u00a0to cover its name, then took the additional step of placing\u00a0a barge between the McCain and the USS Wasp,\u00a0from whose deck Trump would address sailors. Sailors assigned to the McCain were “given the day off.”<\/p>\n

The Navy, through Chief of Information Rear Admiral Charlie Brown, denies it, saying the ship’s name was\u00a0fully visible during Trump’s visit. Well, yes,\u00a0a tarp\u00a0had<\/em> been draped over the McCain’s stern, but senior Navy officers ordered it removed and it was no longer there during Trump’s visit on Tuesday. Yes, the barge had<\/em> been placed between the McCain and the Wasp, but it too was gone by Tuesday.<\/p>\n

So far, though, no one has\u00a0denied the part of the\u00a0story\u00a0where sailors assigned to the USS McCain, wearing their McCain caps, were not allowed to board the USS Wasp and attend Trump’s speech. Which is an interesting interpretation of “given the day off.”<\/p>\n

What does Trump say?\u00a0“I would not have done that. I was not a big fan of John McCain in any way shape or form. To me John McCain, I wasn’t a fan. But I would never do a thing like that. Now, someone did it because they thought I didn’t like him. They were well-meaning, I will say. But I wouldn’t have.”<\/p>\n

Here’s the emerging storyline, as of this morning:<\/p>\n