Sessions: ‘Courage, determination and relentless drive’ made McCain a ‘great leader’

Attorney General Jeff Sessions is calling Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who died of brain cancer on Saturday at the age of 81, a “great leader,” pointing to his courage, determination and “relentless drive.”

“For John McCain, his country was his life. He was tireless in its service. Courage, determination and relentless drive made him a great leader,” Sessions said in a statement.

{mosads}Sessions called his former Senate colleague’s support for former President George W. Bush’s troop surge in Iraq in 2007 “one of the most dramatic, important, patriotic and selfless actions I had the honor to witness in that body.”

“His presidential aspirations were entirely set aside. He totally deployed his considerable strength and energy to what he believed was best for his country — and in service to those then fighting valiantly for the mission the nation had given them. It was a very contentious debate. His personal dedication and leadership moved a very uncertain decision to a favorable outcome,” Sessions said.

“His ferocious tenacity for his country was unmatched. America has lost one of its greatest patriots,” he added.

McCain announced his diagnosis in July of 2017 and his family said last Friday that he had chosen to discontinue medical treatment.

McCain, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has been absent from the Senate this year, but still influenced the debate in Washington.

In July, he criticized President Trump for not taking a tougher stance with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Helsinki summit. McCain blasted the president’s performance as “disgraceful” and called the summit itself as a “tragic mistake.”

Trump, who also targeted the former GOP presidential nominee going back to his own campaign, ordered the White House flags to be lowered to half-staff following the news of McCain’s death.

“My deepest sympathies and respect go out to the family of Senator John McCain. Our hearts and prayers are with you!” Trump tweeted.

Trump and Sessions, meanwhile, have clashed in recent days, with the president on Saturday accusing the attorney general of not understanding “what is happening” at the Justice Department under his watch.

“Jeff Sessions said he wouldn’t allow politics to influence him only because he doesn’t understand what is happening underneath his command position,” Trump tweeted.

The president wrote that Sessions was allowing special counsel Robert Mueller to have a “field day” at the Justice Department after the attorney general’s decision last year to recuse himself from the investigation into the Trump campaign.

Trump’s criticism of Sessions escalated amid the guilty verdicts handed down last week in the trial of Paul Manafort, the president’s former campaign chairman, as well as a guilty plea from Michael Cohen, his former attorney.

Sessions in a rare statement last Thursday seemingly rebuked Trump while pledging to remain untainted by political bias in his work at the agency.

“While I am Attorney General, the actions of the Department of Justice will not be improperly influenced by political considerations. I demand the highest standards, and where they are not met, I take action,” Sessions said.