Democratic U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin on Friday praised his colleague Sen. John McCain as “determined, courageous, tough” after the Arizona Republican’s family announced he was discontinuing medical treatment for brain cancer.
“When I first met him, I was star-struck,” said Durbin of Illinois. “Here was a man who served his country with distinction, a prisoner of war in Vietnam for more than 5 1/2 years.
“I know that in the closing hours, minutes of his life, that he will continue to show that same courage as he has for his country all his life,” Durbin said at an unrelated event in the Loop. “John McCain is an American hero.”
McCain’s family on Friday morning released a statement saying he would “discontinue medical treatment.
“John has surpassed expectations for his survival,” the statement read. “But the progress of disease and the inexorable advance of age render their verdict.”
Durbin started serving with McCain in the Senate in 1997 and was an early backer of then-U.S. Sen. Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign against him.
Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner Friday afternoon tweeted that “it’s heartbreaking to hear the latest news from Senator John McCain. He’s a true American hero and a patriot.”
McCain was elected to Congress in the early 1980s and was elected to the Senate in 1986. He gained a reputation as a lawmaker who was willing to stick to his convictions rather than go along with party leaders, a streak that draws a mix of respect and ire.
He has been a frequent target of criticism from President Donald Trump, especially for his vote against a Republican replacement for Obamacare.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Twitter that he was “very sad to hear this morning’s update” from McCain’s family.
The Associated Press contributed.
Twitter @mikeriopell
