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Senator John McCain , one of the longest-serving and best-known US politicians, will stop receiving treatment for his brain cancer , his family has said.
“The progress of disease and the inexorable advance of age render their verdict,” the family said of the 81-year-old senator in a statement. “With his usual strength of will, he has now chosen to discontinue treatment.”
Mr McCain, a US senator of more than 30 years, was diagnosed with an aggressive former of brain cancer in July 2017. He has been receiving treatment at the Mayo Clinic near his home in Arizona, and has “surpassed expectations for his survival”, according to his family.
“Our family is immensely grateful for the support and kindness of all his caregivers over the last year, and for the continuing outpouring of concern and affection from John’s many friends and associates, and the many thousands of people who are keeping him in their prayers,” the family said.
The congressman and US Navy veteran has received a flood of well-wishers at his Arizona ranch in the last year, from former vice president Joe Biden to longtime friend Senator Lindsey Graham.
John McCain: US Senator in picturesShow all 40 1 /40John McCain: US Senator in pictures John McCain: US Senator in pictures John McCain - 2000 John McCain waves to crowds at The University of Portland in Oregon. McCain was campaigning for Republican nominee George W. Bush
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John McCain: US Senator in pictures John McCain - 1967 Senator John Mccain In A Hanoi Hospital During The Vietnam War November, 1967
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John McCain: US Senator in pictures John McCain - 1993 John McCain, a former POW, looks at a display of personal belongings of American POWs at the joint POW/MIA archives center in the Hanoi Army Museum
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John McCain: US Senator in pictures John McCain - 1999 Republican Senator John McCain announces his official bid for the 2000 White House in Nashua, New Hampshire. Evoking five years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, McCain highlighted his own sacrifice and his 17-year record of public service in the US Congress
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John McCain: US Senator in pictures John McCain - 1999 Republican presidential candidate John McCain poses with an A-4 jet -- similar to the one which he was piloting when he was shot down during the Vietnam War -- on the deck of the USS Intrepid aircraft carrier in New York. McCain, who flew off of the Intrepid during the Vietnam War, but was not on it when he was shot down, was at the Intrepid to receive the 1999 Intrepid Freedom Award
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John McCain: US Senator in pictures John McCain - 2000 Republican presidential hopeful John McCain answers questions at a news conference in New York
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John McCain: US Senator in pictures John McCain - 2000 US Arizona Senator and Republican Presidential hopeful John McCain smiles as he speaks on the phone during a radio show interview from his hotel room in Los Angeles
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John McCain: US Senator in pictures John McCain - 2000 US Arizona Senator and Republican presidential hopeful John McCain reacts to cheers from the crowd after speaking in a rally at the Santa Clara University on the eve of the multi-state SuperTuesday primaries
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John McCain: US Senator in pictures John McCain - 2000 US Senator John McCain (R-AZ) smiles as he is interviewed on WGIR-AM radio in Manchester as he campaigns to become the Republican candidate for president of the United States
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John McCain: US Senator in pictures John McCain - 2002 John McCain on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno"
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John McCain: US Senator in pictures John McCain - 2004 Senator John McCain speaks at the Victor Awards in Las Vegas
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John McCain: US Senator in pictures John McCain - 2008 US Senators Joe Lieberman, Lindsey Graham, John McCain and former senator Phil Gramm watch the Super Bowl at the Hyatt Regency Boston. McCain was leading in most polls over rival contender former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney before the biggest "Super Tuesday" in American history
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John McCain: US Senator in pictures John McCain - 2009 John McCain shakes hands with Dorothy Cross, great niece of the first African American heavyweight boxing champion John Arthur "Jack" Johnson. McCain and Peter King introduced a resolution calling on President Barack Obama to posthumously pardon Johnson, who was a victim of what is widely regarded as a racially motivated conviction in 1913 for violating a law prohibiting taking women across state lines for "immoral purposes"
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John McCain: US Senator in pictures John McCain - 2009 John McCain delivers remarks at the John Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, DC. McCain spoke on "Why Freedom Still Matters" and "Human Rights and Foreign Policy."
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John McCain: US Senator in pictures John McCain - 2010 John McCain with veteran Richard Philippi at VFW Post #1677 during a campaign stop in Casa Grande, Arizona
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John McCain: US Senator in pictures John McCain - 2010 Cindy and John McCain during the Western Conference finals of the NBA Playoffs between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center in Arizona. The Lakers defeated the Suns 111-103
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John McCain: US Senator in pictures John McCain - 2010 John McCain speaks to a group of supporters alongside his wife Cindy at his victory party after winning Arizona's primary election in 2010
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John McCain: US Senator in pictures John McCain - 2010 Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member US Sen. John McCain stands in an elevator on Capitol Hill. The US Senate is debating a the New START, Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, and is expected to vote on it before the end of the 111th Congress's lame duck session
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John McCain: US Senator in pictures John McCain - 2010 U2 frontman Bono and John McCain talk during the 2010 Atlantic Council awards dinner at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Washington, DC
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John McCain: US Senator in pictures John McCain - 2011 US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta greets ranking member John McCain before a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee Panetta and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Michael Mullen testified before the committee on US strategy in Afghanistan and Iraq
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John McCain: US Senator in pictures John McCain - 2011 US President Barack Obama speaks prior to signing the John M. Roll United States Courthouse Bill into law in the Oval Office of the White House as Homeland Security Secretary and former Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano, Senator John McCain, Chief of Staff to Rep. Gabrielle Giffords Pia Carusone, Rep. Ed Pastor, and Rep. Trent Franks look on. President Obama signed the bill to name a new federal courthouse in Yuma, Arizona, after federal Judge John M. Roll, who was gunned down during the shooting rampage in Tucson, Arizona
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John McCain: US Senator in pictures John McCain - 2012 Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney talks with former presidential nominee US Sen. John McCain on Romney's campaign bus with Press Secretary Andrea Saul in between events near Manchester, New Hampshire. McCain announced his endorsement of Romney the day after Romney beat former US Senator Rick Santorum by only eight votes in "first in the nation" Iowa Caucuses
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John McCain: US Senator in pictures John McCain - 2012 John McCain rides on the Senate subway after participating in a news conference on Capitol Hill. McCain joined Senate Foreign Relations Chairman John Kerry as he urged fellow Senators to approve the "Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities bill, an international agreement for protecting the rights of individuals with disabilities
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John McCain: US Senator in pictures John McCain - 2012 John McCain speaks to members of the media after a hearing on the Benghazi attack before the Select Committee on Intelligence in Washington, DC. Former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director David Petraeus testified before the committee about the September 11 attacks on the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, that killed Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans
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John McCain: US Senator in pictures John McCain - 2012 John McCain turns to greet Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Mario Diaz-Balart during a campaign visit to support Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney at the Bay of Pigs Museum and Library of the 2506 Assault Brigade in the Little Havana neighborhood in Miami, Florida. McCain took the time to rally people behind Romney and to encourage them to go out and vote
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John McCain: US Senator in pictures John McCain - 2012 John McCain speaks during an interview in his Russell Senate Office Building office on Capitol Hill. McCain said he wanted a solid NATO-Afghanistan accord sealed at a summit, ensuring critical post-2014 US involvement in the region rather than "looming international abandonment."
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John McCain: US Senator in pictures John McCain - 2013 US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Sen. John McCain joke and embrace before Sen. John Kerry's confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to become the next Secretary of State in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill
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John McCain: US Senator in pictures John McCain - 2013 John McCain testifies before a Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee hearing on the state of video, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. The committee discussed unbundling cable services and the impact of changing technology, among other topics
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John McCain: US Senator in pictures John McCain - 2013 John McCain, Meghan McCain and Jimmy McCain attend "Raising McCain" Series New York Premiere at Tribeca Cinemas in New York
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John McCain: US Senator in pictures John McCain - 2013 Prince Harry is accompanied by US Senator John McCain as he tours a Senate photo exhibit on landmines and unexploded ordnances in the Rotunda of Russell Senate Office Building in Washington, DC. Prince Harry was in the US on a week long visit
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John McCain: US Senator in pictures John McCain - 2013 US Senator John McCain speaks during a mass rally of the opposition in Independence Square in Kiev. McCain told more than 200,000 EU supporters rallying in Kiev that Washington backed their desire for European integration. "To all Ukraine, America stands with you," he called out to the cheering crowd. "The free world is with you, America is with you, I am with you... Ukraine will make Europe better and Europe will make Ukraine better."
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John McCain: US Senator in pictures John McCain - 2013 US Senators Lindsey Graham and John McCain meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, Israel
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John McCain: US Senator in pictures John McCain - 2014 John McCain hugs Debbie Valle after speaking at a forum at the Burton Barr Central Library in Phoenix, Arizona. McCain met with Arizona Veterans to discuss mismanagement of Veterans Affairs
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John McCain: US Senator in pictures John McCain - 2014 John McCain and wife Cindy attend a MLB game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona.
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John McCain: US Senator in pictures
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John McCain: US Senator in pictures John McCain - 2015
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John McCain: US Senator in pictures John McCain - 2017 Senator Amy Klobuchar takes a selfie with Senator Chris Van Hollen, Senator John McCain and Senator Bernie Sanders on the West Front of the US Capitol in Washington, DC at Donal Trump's inauguration ceremony. He became the 45th president of the United States
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John McCain: US Senator in pictures John McCain - 2017 Sen. John McCain gives a thumbs up to well wishers as he gets into his car at the US Capitol. McCain was recently diagnosed with brain cancer but returned on the day the Senate is holding a key procedural vote on US President Donald Trump's effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act
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John McCain: US Senator in pictures John McCain - 2017 US Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Milley greets Sen. John McCain during a special Twilight Tattoo performance at Fort Myer in Arlington, Virginia. McCain was honored with the Outstanding Civilian Service Medal for over 63 years of dedicated service to the nation and the US Navy
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John McCain: US Senator in pictures John McCain - 2017 John McCain arrives at Capitol Hill. Donald Trump's tax reform plan has overcome pockets of resistance within Republican ranks, US senators said, setting up a vote that could provide the president with his first major legislative victory."We have the votes," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters as he entered the chamber
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The senator last visited Capitol Hill in December, following a dramatic appearance over the summer when he cast the deciding vote against his party’s attempts to repeal Obamacare.
“Very sad to hear this morning’s update from the family of our dear friend Senator McCain,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said in a statement. ”We are so fortunate to call him our friend and colleague.”
Mr McCain’s wife, Cindy, also released a statement, thanking everyone who had helped their family and saying: “I love my husband with all of my heart.”
John McCain questions 'half-baked, spurious nationalism' in America’s foreign policy “My family is deeply appreciative of all the love and generosity you have shown us during this past year,” his daughter Meghan tweeted. “Thank you for all your continued support and prayers. We could not have made it this far without you – you’ve given us strength to carry on.”
President Donald Trump did not immediately respond to the news. The two have had a tense relationship since Mr McCain pulled his support from then presidential candidate Trump over an Access Hollywood tape in which the president admitted to sexually assaulting women.
Mr Trump also famously mocked the five years Mr McCain spent as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, saying he preferred “people who weren’t captured”. He also released a torrent of criticism after the senator shot down the Obamacare repeal effort last July.
The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigationShow all 17 1 /17The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Paul Manafort Mr Manafort is a Republican strategist and former Trump campaign manager. He resigned from that post over questions about his extensive lobbying overseas, including in Ukraine where he represented pro-Russian interests. Mr Manafort turned himself in at FBI headquarters to special counsel Robert Mueller’s team on Oct 30, 2017, after he was indicted under seal on charges that include conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading US Foreign Agents Registration Act statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts.
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The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Rick Gates Mr Gates joined the Trump team in spring 2016, and served as a top aide until he left to work at the Republican National Committee after the departure of former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort. Mr Gates' had previously worked on several presidential campaigns, on international political campaigns in Europe and Africa, and had 15 years of political or financial experience with multinational firms, according to his bio. Mr Gates was indicted alongside Mr Manafort by special counsel Robert Mueller's team on charges that include conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading US Foreign Agents Registration Act statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts.
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The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation George Papadopoulos George Papadopoulos was a former foreign policy adviser for the Trump campaign, having joined around March 2016. Mr Papadopoulos plead guilty to federal charges for lying to the FBI as a part of a cooperation agreement with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. Mr Papadopoulos claimed in an interview with the FBI that he had made contacts with Russian sources before joining the Trump campaign, but he actually began working with them after joining the team. Mr Papadopoulos allegedly took a meeting with a professor in London who reportedly told him that Russians had "dirt" on Hillary Clinton. The professor also allegedly introduced Mr Papadopoulos to a Russian who was said to have close ties to officials at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Mr Papadopoulos also allegedly was in contact with a woman whom he incorrectly described in one email to others in the campaign as the "niece" to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Donald Trump Jr The President's eldest son met with a Russian lawyer - Natalia Veselnitskaya - on 9 June 2016 at Trump Tower in New York. He said in an initial statement that the meeting was about Russia halting adoptions of its children by US citizens. Then, he said it was regarding the Magnitsky Act, a US law blacklisting Russian human rights abusers. In a final statement, Mr Trump Jr released a chain of emails that revealed he took the meeting in hopes of getting information Ms Veselnitskaya had about Hillary Clinton's alleged financial ties to Russia. He and the President called it standard "opposition research" in the course of campaigning and that no information came from the meeting. The meeting was set up by an intermediary, Rob Goldstone. Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort were also at the same meeting.
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The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jared Kushner Mr Kushner is President Donald Trump's son-in-law and a key adviser to the White House. He met with a Russian banker appointed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in December. Mr Kushner has said he did so in his role as an adviser to Mr Trump while the bank says he did so as a private developer. Mr Kushner has also volunteered to testify in the Senate about his role helping to arrange meetings between Trump advisers and Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak.
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The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Rob Goldstone Former tabloid journalist and now music publicist Rob Goldstone is a contact of the Trump family through the previously Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant, which took place in Moscow. In June 2016, he wrote to Donald Trump Jr offering a meeting with a Russian lawyer, Natalya Veselnitskaya, who had information about Hillary Clinton. Mr Goldstone was the intermediary for Russian pop star Emin Agalaraov and his father, real estate magnate Aras, who played a role in putting on the 2013 pageant. In an email chain released by Mr Trump Jr, Mr Goldstone seemed to indicate Russian government's support of Donald Trump's campaign.
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The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Aras and Emin Agalarov Aras Agalarov (R) is a wealthy Moscow-based real estate magnate and son Emin (L) is a pop star. Both played a role in putting on the previously Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow. They allegedly had information about Hillary Clinton and offered that information to the Trump campaign through a lawyer with whom they had worked with, Natalia Veselnitskaya, and music publicist Rob Goldstone.
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The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Natalia Veselnitskaya Natalia Veselnitskaya is a Russian lawyer with ties to the Kremlin. She has worked on real estate issues and reportedly counted the FSB as a client in the past. She has ties to a Trump family connection, real estate magnate Aras Agalarov, who had helped set up the Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant which took place in Moscow. Ms Veselnitskaya met with Donald Trump Jr, Jared Kushner, and Paul Manafort in Trump Tower on 9 June 2016 but denies the allegation that she went there promising information on Hillary Clinton's alleged financial ties to Russia. She contends that the meeting was about the US adoptions of Russian children being stopped by Moscow as a reaction to the Magnitsky Act, a US law blacklisting Russian human rights abusers.
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The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Mike Flynn Mr Flynn was named as Trump's national security adviser but was forced to resign from his post for inappropriate communication with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. He had misrepresented a conversation he had with Mr Kislyak to Vice President Mike Pence, telling him wrongly that he had not discussed sanctions with the Russian.
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The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Sergey Kislyak Mr Kislyak, the former longtime Russian ambassador to the US, is at the centre of the web said to connect President Donald Trump's campaign with Russia.
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The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Roger Stone Mr Stone is a former Trump adviser who worked on the political campaigns of Richard Nixon, George HW Bush, and Ronald Reagan. Mr Stone claimed repeatedly in the final months of the campaign that he had backchannel communications with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and that he knew the group was going to dump damaging documents to the campaign of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton - which did happen. Mr Stone also had contacts with the hacker Guccier 2.0 on Twitter, who claimed to have hacked the DNC and is linked to Russian intelligence services.
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The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jeff Sessions The US attorney general was forced to recuse himself from the Trump-Russia investigation after it was learned that he had lied about meeting with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak.
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The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Carter Page Mr Page is a former advisor to the Trump campaign and has a background working as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch. Mr Page met with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland. Mr Page had invested in oil companies connected to Russia and had admitted that US Russia sanctions had hurt his bottom line.
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The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jeffrey "JD" Gorden Mr Gordon met with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 Republian National Convention to discuss how the US and Russia could work together to combat Islamist extremism should then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump win the election. The meeting came days before a massive leak of DNC emails that has been connected to Russia.
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The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation James Comey Mr Comey was fired from his post as head of the FBI by President Donald Trump. The timing of Mr Comey's firing raised questions around whether or not the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign may have played a role in the decision.
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The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Preet Bharara Mr Bahara refused, alongside 46 other US district attorney's across the country, to resign once President Donald Trump took office after previous assurances from Mr Trump that he would keep his job. Mr Bahara had been heading up several investigations including one into one of President Donald Trump's favorite cable television channels Fox News. Several investigations would lead back to that district, too, including those into Mr Trump's campaign ties to Russia, and Mr Trump's assertion that Trump Tower was wiretapped on orders from his predecessor.
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The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Sally Yates Ms Yates, a former Deputy Attorney General, was running the Justice Department while President Donald Trump's pick for attorney general awaited confirmation. Ms Yates was later fired by Mr Trump from her temporary post over her refusal to implement Mr Trump's first travel ban. She had also warned the White House about potential ties former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn to Russia after discovering those ties during the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign's connections to Russia.
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Mr McCain, for his part, has reportedly told family members he does not want Mr Trump at his funeral .
Long known for his outspokenness and willingness to challenge his own party, Mr McCain has issued several statements since his last Senate vote. In June, he called the separation of immigrant families at the border an “affront to the decency of the American people,” and last month deemed Mr Trump’s press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin a “low point in the history of the American presidency”.
His memoir, The Restless Wave , was released in May.
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