Sarah Palin, the ex-Alaska governor who served as John McCain’s running mate when he ran for president in 2008, was reportedly banned from his funeral
Sarah Palin, the ex-Alaska governor who served as John McCain’s running mate when he ran for president in 2008, was reportedly banned from his funeral. 81-year-old Arizona Republican senator and former Vietnam prisoner-of-war died last Saturday after a battle with brain cancer.
According to US media, the request to Mrs Sarah Palin – who Senator McCain later regretted selecting – was sent through a family intermediary. A Palin family source told NBC News that “out of respect” to the family, we have nothing to add at this point”. The Palin family will always cherish their friendship with the McCains and hold those memories dear,” the family representative told a reporter on Wednesday.
In a pair of tweets after the death, Mrs Palin praised her former running mate as a maverick and a fighter, never afraid to stand for his beliefs.
“John McCain was my friend,” she wrote. “I will remember the good times. My family and I send prayers for Cindy and the McCain family.”
A McCain family source told People magazine on Wednesday that the decision probably came from his widow, Cindy McCain.
“She is very protective of John’s memory and legacy. She’s also a grieving widow. I think she wants to get through this as best she can,” the unnamed source said.
Carla Eudy, a fundraiser who worked with the McCain family for decades, told the magazine that “invitations were not extended” to either Mrs Palin or US President Donald Trump.
The relatively unknown Alaska politician rocketed to fame after she was selected by Mr McCain in 2008 as his vice-presidential running mate. In May he published a book, saying he regretted choosing Mrs Palin and should have instead picked his friend and former Democratic senator Joe Lieberman. Mrs Sarah Palin said at the time that his words, which were published in McCain’s memoir The Restless Wave, were “a gut punch”.
She added that his comments hurt “a bit”, but encouraged the ailing senator to find some “positive aspect in decisions that he’s made in the past – even about that campaign”.
