Still, Ms. Sadler did not leave in light of her comments, according to two people familiar with the situation. Instead, they suggested that Ms. Sadler was pushed out over reports that she had told Mr. Trump that Mercedes Schlapp, the White House strategic communications director, had been the one leaking to the news media. Tensions between the two had reached a point where Ms. Sadler, who worked in the White House communications office focusing on immigration, and Ms. Schlapp were unable to be in the same room together, White House aides said. The White House in recent weeks has reduced the size of the daily communications meeting, and aides have discussed decreasing the size of the communications staff. Such changes have been threatened before, but on Tuesday, one senior White House official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said that more departures may be coming. In the days after Ms. Sadler’s comments on Mr. McCain, White House officials dodged questions on whether what Ms. Sadler had said was inappropriate. Instead, the press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, and her deputy Raj Shah have suggested that the leaks were worse than the actual comments. Mr. Shah stressed that the situation was an internal matter, and in an appearance last month on “Fox & Friends,” the president’s preferred TV program, Ms. Sanders targeted leakers in particular. “I think it is disgusting and some of the most shameful behavior that you can ever engage in,” Ms. Sanders said. “It’s an honor and a privilege to work for the president and to be part of his administration. Anybody who betrays that, I think, is a total and complete coward. And they should be fired.”<doc-sep>White House communications aide Kelly Sadler, who mocked ailing Arizona Republican Senator John McCain, is reportedly no longer employed by the Trump administration. Related: Watch: Meghan McCain Slams White House for Not Firing Aide Who Mocked Her Father’s Cancer Sadler’s departure from the White House was reported by CNN on Tuesday evening based on three sources familiar with the matter. It is unclear whether Sadler was fired or resigned. Trending: Ukraine Under Threat From Far-Right Extremism, Report Reveals She stayed on staff for nearly a month after saying in a May 10 closed-door meeting with White House communications staff that McCain’s opposition to President Donald Trump’s nomination of Gina Haspel for CIA director “doesn’t matter; he’s dying anyway.” McCain is battling brain cancer. The senator’s daughter, Meghan McCain, on ABC’s The View the following day said, “Whatever you want to say, in this kind of environment, the thing that surprises me the most is, I don't understand what kind of environment you're working in when that would be acceptable and then you could come to work the next day and still have a job." Sadler promised a public apology to Meghan McCain, but only apologized personally. Don't miss: Joe Scarborough Mocks Trump After Melania Tweet: ‘Can You imagine’ Lying About ‘Loved One Having a Facelift’? When pressured by Fox & Friends host Abby Huntsman on whether a public apology was coming, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders dodged the question. “Look, I can tell you there are a couple of bad actors,” Sanders said mid-last month, and added that leaking “is disgusting and some of the most shameful behavior that you could ever engage in.” Most popular: Pokémon Switch 2019 Will Have New Pokémon Confirms CEO Tsunekazu Ishihara “I don’t think we should continue to validate the leaks that come out by making that the focus of what we’re doing,” Sanders said, focusing on the issue of leaking rather than Sadler's comment itself. “I think there’s some incredible things that this president is doing that literally have massive global impacts and I think that’s what we should be talking about.” Story continues The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Newsweek on Tuesday evening regarding Sadler’s reported departure. Sadler served as a special assistant to Trump, gathering and disseminating talking points to allies of the administration, among other duties. This article was first written by Newsweek More from Newsweek<doc-sep>"It doesn’t matter, he’s dying anyway," communications aide Kelly Sadler said about Sen. John McCain, who has been battling brain cancer Kelly Sadler, Aide Who Mocked John McCain's Cancer, 'No Longer Employed' by the White House Three weeks after mocking Sen. John McCain‘s brain cancer diagnosis, special assistant and communications aide Kelly Sadler is out at the White House. “Kelly Sadler is no longer employed within the Executive Office of the President,” White House spokesman Raj Shah confirms in a statement released on Tuesday. Get push notifications with news, features and more. It is unclear if Sadler resigned or was terminated or will be taking on a different role within the administration. During a closed-door meeting in May, Sadler disregarded McCain’s opposition of President Donald Trump‘s nominee for CIA director, Gina Haspel, saying, “It doesn’t matter, he’s dying anyway.” (Haspel was confirmed to head the CIA a week later.) john-mccain John McCain; Kelly Sadler | Credit: AP/REX/Shutterstock; REX/Shutterstock McCain, 81, was diagnosed with brain cancer in July 2017 after undergoing a surgery to remove a blood clot above his eye last summer. He was hospitalized in December to treat side effects related to his cancer therapy. Then in April, McCain underwent surgery and was hospitalized at Arizona’s Mayo Clinic for an intestinal infection. Want to keep up on the latest from PEOPLE? Sign up for our daily newsletter to get our best stories of the day delivered straight to your inbox. RELATED VIDEO: John McCain’s Family Outraged After White House Official Mocks Senator: ‘He’s Dying Anyway’ The White House had been strategizing an exit for Sadler for the last two weeks, according to CNN, which was the first to report news of Sadler’s departure. Instead of condemning Sadler’s comments during those two weeks, the White House released a statement saying, “We respect Senator McCain’s Service to our nation and he and his family are in our prayers during this difficult time.” meghan-mccain-3 John and Meghan McCain | Credit: Meghan McCain/Instagram The six-term Arizona Republican senator’s daughter Meghan McCain said she had yet to receive an apology from Sadler. “I was promised an apology by Kelly Sadler, publicly, to my family,” Meghan, 33, said on The View on May 31. “I did not receive that.”<doc-sep>
Kelly Sadler, the White House communications aide who was accused of mocking Sen. John McCain and his battle against brain cancer, no longer works at the White House. "It doesn't matter, he's dying anyway," Sadler reportedly said last month about McCain's opposition to CIA nominee Gina Haspel at a meeting of White House communications staffers. The comments, which were made in a closed-door meeting and leaked to The Hill, ignited a firestorm of criticism and calls for Sadler's firing. But she remained on staff for about a month. CNN first reported Sadler's departure, followed by Fox. Both cited anonymous sources. It's unclear if Sadler resigned or was terminated. White House Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah said in a statement that Sadler "is no longer employed within the Executive Office of the President." Shah's statement appeared to leave the door open on the possibility of Sadler taking on another role within the Administration or within Trump's campaign. It was unclear Tuesday whether either would happen. Sadler's comments came in the aftermath of McCain urging fellow senators to reject Haspel's nomination because he thought she did not adequately answer for her role in the CIA's torture program after the 9/11 attacks during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee. Haspel was later confirmed to head the CIA. Meghan McCain, the daughter of the six-term Arizona Republican senator, used her platform as a host of ABC's The View to defend her father. More:'This is not an administration that is capable of apologizing,' Meghan McCain says More:Meghan McCain wonders how White House staffer who mocked her dad can 'still have a job' More:'He's dying anyway': White House official mocked Sen. John McCain, reports say She said she didn't understand how the White House could be an environment where someone could make a comment like that and "can come to work the next day and still have a job." On Thursday, Meghan McCain said she and her family have been targets of "extremely personal attacks" since the beginning of Trump's run for office. Back in 2015, then-candidate Trump infamously mocked John McCain just a couple months into his campaign, saying he preferred people who "weren't captured." McCain was a prisoner of war in Vietnam for five years. Meghan McCain told viewers she had yet to receive an apology. "I was promised an apology by Kelly Sadler, publicly, to my family," McCain said. "I did not receive that." In the aftermath of Sadler's comments, the White House declined to apologize or condemn her remarks. Instead, the Trump administration targeted those leaking information to the press. In the days after the backlash, White House counselor Kellyanne Conway told Fox News those who work in the White House should be loyal to the president and his agenda. She said she expected to see personnel changes due to the leaks, which she called "unhelpful."