When presidential contender Donald Trump mocked U.S. Sen. John McCain’s POW record in the Vietnam War, many quickly defended the veteran Arizona Republican as an American hero.The praise for McCain’s military service came from Trump’s rivals for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, including former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky. The Republican National Committee and U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., also weighed in on McCain’s behalf. Even U.S. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, D-Ariz., who is seeking her party’s 2016 nomination for U.S. Senate, told Trump to apologize to McCain, her potential opponent, and all veterans.However, none of the five Republicans in Arizona’s nine-member U.S. House delegation — Trent Franks, Paul Gosar, Martha McSally, Matt Salmon or David Schweikert — spoke up in McCain’s defense as the controversy exploded July 18.Responding to a request for comment from The Arizona Republic, McSally, herself a veteran, on Friday unequivocally backed McCain, a former naval aviator who was shot down in 1967 and spent more than five years in brutal conditions as a prisoner of war.RELATED: Donald Trump at border: Hispanics love meMORE: Trump attack a ‘gift’ to McCain, observers say EDITORIAL: … Read full this story
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