United States Senators Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell stand near the casket of late Senator John McCain in the Capitol Rotunda as he lies in state at the U.S. Capitol, in Washington, DC on Friday, August 31, 2018. Pool | Getty Images WASHINGTON—John McCain was honored Friday in a way that symbolized the Republican senator and former presidential candidate's vision for the country: politicians from both sides of the aisle sharing strong bonds even as they vie for power. Lying in state under the rotunda of the Capitol in Washington, McCain was surrounded by dozens of colleagues from Congress and members of President Donald Trump's administration. Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan and Democratic House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi walked together to place a wreath next to McCain's casket. Later, Pelosi escorted veteran conservative Republican Rep. Sam Johnson of Texas to the casket. Johnson, like McCain, was a prisoner of war in Vietnam. Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, rivals in their chamber, stood beside each other as they honored McCain. There will be a memorial service for McCain at the National Cathedral on Saturday in Washington. The late Arizona senator will then be buried Sunday at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. At a time of intense partisan rancor, it was a stark example of how McCain's spirit and aptitude for reaching across the aisle could still live on, even for brief moments like these. Rep. Joe Crowley, D-N.Y., said in an interview with CNBC after the ceremony that while he didn't always agree with McCain's policies, the Arizona "maverick" should be remembered as an inspiration to future leaders, no matter their political affiliation. Brian Schwartz | CNBC "He is an inspiration for generations to come as to how we should conduct ourselves in the House and the Senate, in Congress in general, and the body politic in our nation," Crowley said. "This is a powerful symbol of someone who not only got it right, he understood what he was doing in life and he understood at his death as well." Ryan, in a speech at the event Friday, hailed McCain's passion for debate, adding that the late senator also believed the discourse between colleagues should lead to results. "He showed us in the arena, the honest back and forth, that's where the cause gets bigger. That's where the triumph is all the sweeter. We get stronger at the broken places," Ryan said. McCain survived 5½ years of torture and imprisonment during the Vietnam War. Then he went on to serve more than three decades in Congress, both as a member of the House and as a senator. He was known for his ferocious opposition to policies that didn't match his principles and for taking on presidents, no matter their party. McCain was particularly critical of Trump.<doc-sep>“We’re getting nothing done, my friends. We’re getting nothing done.” It was a few days before the historic Obamacare repeal vote, and Republicans desperately needed John McCain. “It was a dramatic and consequential return for John McCain to the Senate floor.” “What a dramatic morning this is turning out to be, with John McCain making that surprise return to Washington.” “And McCain’s vote is going to give leadership a lot more breathing room.” But the maverick of the Senate had just been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, and he was playing hard to get. “We’ve been spinning our wheels on too many important issues, because we keep trying to find a way to win without help from across the aisle.” But would he vote with his party, or would he defect? “I will not vote for this bill as it is today.” This was the kind of moment that John McCain lives for. He is going to be the deciding vote, and he’s got control of a major piece of legislation in his hand. “You heard John McCain. A really historic moment. Trying to set a new tone when it comes to fixing our health care system.” When you go against the grain in Washington, you get a lot of attention. “Shutting down the government injured the people of my state. Why? Why would we want to do that?” John McCain had a big ego, and he liked the attention. But also, I do think that the maverick aspect to McCain was real. He saw a lot of the things that went on in Washington as semi-idiotic, or corrupt. “I think the Congress of the United States — both Republicans and Democrats — should be ashamed of themselves. These may be worthy projects. They may be. Generally they aren’t. How many more lawmakers, staffers, government officials, and contractors have to go to jail before we actually fix this process?” He liked challenging authority. It may be part of that is just growing up in a military family and having all that military experience, where you’re subject to so much authority. “I have trouble with this. More than two-syllable words —” In the political phase of his life, he was willing to step up, take a chance, and shake up the system. “Eleven million people live in the shadows, and they live here in de facto amnesty, and, by God, they are being exploited every single day.” Of course, he switched back and forth when it suited his politics. “We will secure the borders first when I am president of the United States. I am proud that Republicans are the party of lower taxes. I cannot in good conscience vote in favor of tax cuts.” There have been so many John McCains over the years. He came to Congress as this exalted war hero who’d already had a national reputation because of his time as a P.O.W. in Vietnam. McCain was shot down, held for years in terrible conditions in the Hanoi Hilton. He had a high profile because of his father. “The commander in chief of our Pacific forces, Admiral John S. McCain Jr.” “As you know, we are living in a troubled world —” They knew that they had something of a celebrity prisoner there. He was tortured, subjected to really unthinkable experiences. He resisted and resisted, but ultimately did make a confession. That really haunted him through the rest of his life. He felt that he had caved and betrayed his country. When he returned from Vietnam, to much acclaim, he was an ambitious guy, and he quickly turned to politics. “John McCain, a name Arizonans are talking about.” He ran for the House. Came in as a pretty conventional conservative — somebody who wanted to get on board the Reagan Revolution. “Speaker, like a poor fellow who brought his horse to water but could not make it drink, Walter Mondale proposes to throw more tax money at the deficit with little chance of making it shrink.” But there was a watershed moment coming for John McCain — “— a major congressional scandal —” The Keating Five Scandal. “Charles Keating, a millionaire banker who has come to embody the savings and loan scandal —” A group of senators — a bipartisan group — had interceded on behalf of a big businessman, and they tried to help him out of a regulatory problem. It was a big scandal at the moment, because the S&L crisis was huge back then. “Do you swear under oath to this committee you were unaware of that at the time?” McCain was ultimately cleared of any wrongdoing. “But I understand why the committee made the arrangements they did.” He thought it be besmirched his honor, which is probably the most important thing to John McCain besides his family, is his honor. This was a searing experience for McCain, and it really helped shape his later image as a maverick, because he immediately became someone, I think, who wanted to shake up the system and rein in the influence of money and politics. “There’s too much money washing around, and this money makes good people do bad things, and bad people do worse things.” John McCain was ready to do that. His party really wasn’t. They liked the campaign system the way it was, particularly Mitch McConnell. “To effectively discuss issues in this country, one must have access to money.” He was the leading foe of John McCain. “Who do you want to be the next president of these United States? McCain! That’s right.” So McCain had presidential ambitions. 2000 seemed like a good opportunity for him. This was the year of the famous Straight Talk Express. He was really letting it hang out in a lot of ways. “If I were a tree, I would be a —” “If I were a tree, I would be a root. What does that mean? I’d be glad to tell you —” But he ran into a real buzzsaw with the Bush family and Karl Rove. “Let me finish.<doc-sep>Pushed in a wheelchair, Roberta McCain paid her respects to her son and comforted her family during Friday's memorial services in the U.S. Capitol rotunda She attended with the rest of her family — including McCain’s two sons, Doug, 58, and Andy, 56, and daughter, Sidney, 51, from his first marriage and four children from his second: Meghan, 33, Jack, 32, Jimmy, 33, and Bridget, 27. Sen. McCain was married to his second wife Cindy for 38 at years at the time of his death. Get push notifications with news, features and more. Pushed in a wheelchair by a uniformed serviceman, Roberta paid respects to her son at his casket draped in an American flag in the center of the Capitol’s rotunda. She was also positioned right next to the podium from which Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, Vice President Mike Pence and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell gave their tributes to the late Arizona Republican. Senator John McCain lies in state at US Capitol, Washington, USA - 31 Aug 2018 Credit: SHAWN THEW/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Roberta McCain Senator John McCain lies in state at US Capitol, Washington, USA - 31 Aug 2018 Roberta McCain | Credit: SHAWN THEW/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Casket of Senator John McCain laid in state at US Capitol in Washington, USA - 31 Aug 2018 Roberta McCain | Credit: KEVIN LAMARQUE/POOL/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock At one point during the service, Robert was seen comforting her granddaughter Meghan, and she also received a special greeting from Vice President Pence before the ceremony began. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) Lies In State In The Rotunda Of U.S. Capitol Roberta and Meghan McCain | Credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) Lies In State In The Rotunda Of U.S. Capitol Roberta and Meghan McCain | Credit: Drew Angerer/Getty The service started with a prayer that praised McCain’s “willingness to speak truth as he understood it, even when it was not politically expedient to do so.” Next, McConnell recalled that McCain — who was often his political opponent — had “America’s fighting spirit. … I will miss a dear friend whose smile reminded us that service is a privilege.” Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) Lies In State In The Rotunda Of U.S. Capitol Vice President Mike Pence | Credit: Kevin Dietsch - Pool/Getty Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) Lies In State In The Rotunda Of U.S. Capitol Speaker of the House Paul Ryan | Credit: Kevin Dietsch - Pool/Getty Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) Lies In State In The Rotunda Of U.S. Capitol Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell | Credit: Kevin Dietsch - Pool/Getty Ryan reminded attendees that “what stands out about John McCain is what he stood for,” adding, “The rich blessings that only freedom can bestow. The sense of purpose that a battle joined can bring. The common humanity that burns in each of our hearts.” The vice president closed out the speeches with similar sentiments but also shared a story about McCain’s incomparable work ethic. Arizona Sen. John McCain Lies In State In The Rotunda Of Arizona State Capitol Sen. John McCain’s family | Credit: Jae C. Hong - Pool/Getty Pence recounted a time he had a day packed with travel and meetings alongside the late six-term senator, who was 20 years his senior. Late that evening, Pence said McCain told him, “Mike, we’ve got a few more meetings tonight. Why don’t you turn in? You look like you could use some rest.” Pence also shared that “John McCain loved the men and women who served in the uniform and he was a champion of the armed forces throughout his career. … Today he lies in the place where he served last, the United States Congress. Soon he will go to rest in the place where he served first.” Until Thursday, it was unclear if the McCain matriarch would be present for her son’s memorial service because she was recently slowed by a stroke. She also plans to attend McCain’s burial on Saturday, according to NBC News White House correspondent Kelly O’Donnell. Republican Convention Roberta and John McCain | Credit: Chuck Kennedy/MCT/MCT/Getty As Roberta grieves the loss of her son, who died of brain cancer at the age of 81 on Saturday, a close McCain family friend told PEOPLE that she is a “very strong woman” who’s retained her “spunky” spirit. “She is all there, mentally, and is still going strong at 106,” the friend said. “She outlived her 81-year-old son. That tells you a lot. But it’s a tough blow to bury your child.” RELATED VIDEO: Senator John McCain Dies at Age 81 The insider noted that while Roberta did not travel to Arizona following Friday’s news that her son would be ceasing medical treatment for glioblastoma — the most aggressive form of brain cancer, with which he was diagnosed in July 2017 — the two did speak on the phone recently, and she knew the extent of her son’s illness. The friend said Roberta was her son’s “biggest supporter and the leader of his fan club.” “She was incredibly proud of him,” the source added. “His mommy loved him. He knew that.” CAMPAIGN-MCCAIN Roberta and John McCain | Credit: Erik Campos/The State/MCT/Getty Meghan opened up to PEOPLE about her relationship with Roberta ahead of her November 2017 wedding, four months after her father was diagnosed with stage-four brain cancer. When asked about potentially not having her dad at her wedding, The View host immediately thought of the endurance of her grandmother. F:PHOTOMediaFactory ActionsRequests DropBox48475#Sierra Blanco PhotographyDSC_9036a.jpg Meghan and John McCain | Credit: Sierra Blanco Photography “The thing is my grandmother is 105 and still alive and well — my grandma Roberta,” she said. “This sounds arrogant, but it never even occurred to me that I wouldn’t live to be 105 and that all the people in my family wouldn’t live to be 105 because we have this really intensely weird DNA of strong people who live forever. … So you just never think its going to be your family member, but … nobody knows what the future brings.”<doc-sep>John McCain’s final letter to America McCain’s memorial service in the Capitol Rotunda offered official Washington a rare reprieve from the presidential drama. The result was a scene that felt plucked from another time, when politics was secondary to the personal, and partisan affiliations were more formality than battle cry. No era in American history has been quite so idyllic, of course. Yet for a brief hour in Washington, sans the specter of Trump, the idea of such a polity didn’t feel so laughable. You’d be forgiven for wanting to linger as long as possible. People began filing into the Rotunda well before the program’s start time at 11 a.m. ET. Secret Service populated much of Capitol Hill. The room filled with McCain’s former Senate colleagues, current and former House members, and the ambassadorial corps. Representing the administration were Vice President Mike Pence, White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, and assorted members of the Cabinet and White House staff. McCain’s widow, Cindy McCain, sat alongside Pence and his wife, Karen. McCain’s family, including his 106-year-old mother, Roberta, was in attendance as well. A military honor guard carried McCain’s body into the Capitol for the 81-year-old Republican’s final visit, where he’d lie in state at the center of the Rotunda. Flanked by rose-dotted wreaths, his casket was draped with an American flag. Fellow Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona placed his hand over his heart as the honor guard processed in. He struggled to hold back tears. In prepared remarks, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan lauded McCain as a war hero, patriot, and principled leader. “Generations of Americans will continue to marvel at the man who lies before us,” McConnell said. “The cocky, handsome naval aviator who barely scraped through school, and then fought for freedom in the skies. Who witnessed to our highest values even through terrible torture, and who became a generational leader in the United States Senate, where our nation airs its great debates.” John McCain and the lost art of decency “We share your anguish in losing this great man. Rarely does this glorious Rotunda fall silent at this hour,” Ryan said, addressing McCain’s family. “But in this quiet hour, we are left to ponder how his life speaks to us.” McCain, he said, “is one of the bravest souls our nation has ever produced.” The air seemed to thicken slightly when Pence stood to deliver his remarks, as though the mere prospect of Trump’s name being uttered threatened the moment of solace. Pence kept his remembrance warm. But he quoted his boss’s own words about McCain: “As President Trump said yesterday, we respect his service to the country.” Missing was the quote’s full context; Trump had told Bloomberg he “disagreed with many of the things I assume [McCain] believed in.” It was the morning’s only attempt to invoke Trump.<doc-sep>
WASHINGTON—Former colleagues honored Sen. John McCain as he lay in state at the U.S. Capitol on Friday, while members of the public lined up for a chance to pay their respects to the lawmaker. Mr. McCain (R., Ariz.), a former Republican presidential nominee and war hero who died at age 81 on Saturday, became the 27th named individual to lie in state in the Capitol’s Rotunda room on the day before a memorial service at Washington National Cathedral. (Watch the video feed.) Congress has also honored with a similar tribute unnamed soldiers from several wars and several private citizens, including civil-rights icon Rosa Parks and Rev. Billy Graham. The last lawmaker to have lain in state was Sen. Daniel Inouye (D., Hawaii) in 2012. Sen. John McCain's life will be remembered as one of service to his country. Hear him reflect on his years in the Navy, as a prisoner of war, six-term Senator and presidential nominee. “Half a world away, wearing our nation’s uniform, John McCain stood up for every value that this Capitol Building represents. Then, he brought that same patriotism inside its walls,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) said at Friday’s service, attended by dozens of lawmakers from both political parties. “So it is only right that today, near the end of his long journey, John lies here.” Military officials carried Mr. McCain’s casket through pouring rain into the Capitol Friday morning, where it was scheduled to remain overnight. After Friday’s ceremony, Mr. McCain’s wife, Cindy, visited his desk in the Senate chamber, which had been draped with a black cloth all week, topped by a vase of white roses. And for hours afterwards, visitors lined up in the intense heat to wait for their chance to witness Mr. McCain’s final hours in the Capitol. Mr. McCain’s death touched off a wellspring of tributes this week from lawmakers of both parties, who mourned the loss of a senator known for working across the aisle. Former Vice President Joe Biden spoke at his memorial service in Arizona on Thursday and former President Barack Obama, who defeated Mr. McCain in the 2008 presidential race, is expected to deliver remarks at the National Cathedral service on Saturday, as is former President George W. Bush. Mr. McCain’s death also sparked his final tangle with President Donald Trump, who had criticized Mr. McCain for being captured as a prisoner of war in Vietnam and raged against the senator after he voted against the GOP effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. The president had resisted praising Mr. McCain for two days, before putting out a statement Monday. In another controversy, the White House lowered the flag to half-staff on Saturday but then returned it to full-staff on Monday, drawing criticism from lawmakers and veterans groups who said it should remained at half-staff longer. The White House then reversed course and lowered it again, with Mr. Trump issuing a proclamation saying the flag would remain lowered until Sunday. Bidding Farewell to Sen. John McCain John McCain arrived at the U.S. Naval Academy for burial on Sunday, winding up a week of tributes to the war hero and GOP presidential nominee who died Aug. 25 at age 81. The funeral procession for Sen. John McCain heads to the U.S. Naval Academy cemetery in Annapolis, Md., Sunday for burial. Sen. McCain, who served as a Navy pilot during the Vietnam War and was a prisoner of war for more than five years, died Aug. 25 from brain cancer at age 81. Susan Walsh/Associated Press 1 of 18 • • • • • 1 of 18 Show Caption The funeral procession for Sen. John McCain heads to the U.S. Naval Academy cemetery in Annapolis, Md., Sunday for burial. Sen. McCain, who served as a Navy pilot during the Vietnam War and was a prisoner of war for more than five years, died Aug. 25 from brain cancer at age 81. Susan Walsh/Associated Press Vice President Mike Pence said Friday that Mr. Trump had asked him to speak at the ceremony honoring Mr. McCain. “In my years in Congress and as vice president, we didn’t always agree,” Mr. Pence said. “But his support for limited government, for tax reform and support for our armed forces surely left our nation more prosperous and more secure and he will be missed.” Arizona’s Gov. Doug Ducey, a Republican, will choose a replacement for Mr. McCain, who was elected to his sixth term in 2016.