McCain: U.S. Relationship With Egypt Is Changing, But Must Remain Friendly U.S. Sen. John McCain says the nature of America's partnership with Egypt is changing a year after the ouster of Hosni Mubarak but stressed that the two countries "must remain friends." McCain's comments Monday to a Cairo business conference reflected the growing strain in the relations between the two allies. Egypt referred 16 Americans and 27 others to a criminal trial in a politically charged case against foreign-funded pro-democracy groups. Washington has threatened to cut $1.5 billion in aid over the spat. McCain chairs the International Republican Institute -- one of four U.S.-based groups under investigation -- and is also the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee. He spoke just before meetings with Egypt's military leaders who took over after Mubarak. McCain told ABC's "This Week" on Sunday that he was headed to Egypt for a "preplanned trip" and was not acting as a "negotiator," but he wanted to explain that "this is a serious situation. It's important that I and the other senators in the delegation explain to the Egyptian leadership -- and, by the way, this is a Mubarak law that they are enforcing. This is not the Muslim Brotherhood we're talking about -- that this is a serious situation, has serious implications for our relationship. But for me to go to the Egyptians now and make threat I think could be nonproductive," he said.