Editing John McCain (section)

=== Fifth Senate term ===

While control of the House of Representatives went over to the Republicans in the [[112th Congress]], the Senate stayed Democratic and McCain continued to be the ranking member of the [[Senate Armed Services Committee]]. As the [[Arab Spring]] took center stage, McCain urged that the embattled Egyptian president, [[Hosni Mubarak]], step down and thought the U.S. should push for democratic reforms in the region despite the associated risks of religious extremists gaining power.<ref>[https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=12829841 "McCain Says the Time for Mubarak to Leave Has Come"], Associated Press, [[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] (February 3, 2011). Retrieved May 22, 2011.</ref> McCain was an especially vocal supporter of the [[2011 military intervention in Libya]]. In April of that year he visited the [[Anti-Gaddafi forces]] and [[National Transitional Council]] in [[Benghazi]], the highest-ranking American to do so, and said that the rebel forces were "my heroes".<ref>[https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mccain-libyan-rebels-are-my-heroes/ "McCain: Libyan rebels are 'my heroes'"], [[CBS News]] (April 22, 2011). Retrieved May 11, 2011.</ref> In June, he joined with Senator Kerry in offering a resolution that would have [[War Powers Resolution#Libya intervention in 2011|authorized the military intervention]], and said: "The administration's disregard for the elected representatives of the American people on this matter has been troubling and counterproductive."<ref>Steinhauer, Jennifer. [http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/21/kerry-and-mccain-introduce-libya-resolution/ "Kerry and McCain Introduce Libya Resolution"], ''[[The New York Times]]'' (June 21, 2011). Retrieved February 21, 2016.</ref><ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/06/22/war.powers.libya/ "Boehner: House not with McCain on Libya campaign"], [[CNN]] (June 22, 2011). Retrieved February 21, 2016.</ref> In August, McCain voted for the [[Budget Control Act of 2011]] that resolved the [[2011 United States debt-ceiling crisis|U.S. debt ceiling crisis]].<ref>[http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20110801/news/110809987/ "McCain says he'll 'swallow hard' and vote for debt deal"], Associated Press, ''[[Daily Herald (Arlington Heights)|Daily Herald]]'' (August 1, 2011). Retrieved August 7, 2011.</ref> In November, McCain and Senator [[Carl Levin]] were leaders in efforts to codify in the [[National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012]] that terrorism suspects, no matter where captured, could be detained by [[Military Commissions Act of 2006|the U.S. military and its tribunal system]]; following objections by civil libertarians, some Democrats, and the White House, McCain and Levin agreed to language making it clear that the bill would not pertain to U.S. citizens.<ref>Barett, Ted. [http://www.cnn.com/2011/12/01/politics/senate-detainee-policy/index.html "Senate passes defense bill with detainee policy compromise"], [[CNN]] (December 2, 2011). Retrieved December 3, 2011.</ref><ref>Gerstein, Josh. [http://www.politico.com/blogs/under-the-radar/2011/12/defense-bill-revised-in-bid-to-avoid-veto-107179.html "Defense bill revised in bid to avoid veto"], ''[[Politico]]'' (December 12, 2011). Retrieved December 26, 2011.</ref>

In the [[2012 Republican Party presidential primaries]], McCain endorsed former 2008 rival Mitt Romney and campaigned for him, but compared the contest to a [[Greek tragedy]] due to its drawn-out nature with massive [[super PAC]]-funded attack ads damaging all the contenders.<ref>Chabot, Hillary. [http://www.bostonherald.com/news/us_politics/view/20220228mccain_close_curtain_on_gop_greek_tragedy_believes_negative_campaign_will_take_a_toll_in_november/srvc=home&position=5 "John McCain: Close curtain on GOP 'Greek tragedy'"], ''[[Boston Herald]]'' (February 28, 2012). Retrieved March 7, 2012.</ref> He labeled the Supreme Court's 2010 ''[[Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission]]'' decision as "uninformed, arrogant, naïve", and, decrying its effects and the future scandals he thought it would bring, said it would become considered the court's "worst decision{{nbsp}}... in the 21st century".<ref>Gilbert, Holly. [http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/06/17/mccain-on-campaign-finance-the-system-is-broken/ "McCain on campaign finance: 'The system is broken'"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120705205108/http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/06/17/mccain-on-campaign-finance-the-system-is-broken/ |date=July 5, 2012}}, [[CNN]] (June 17, 2012). Retrieved July 7, 2012.</ref> McCain took the lead in opposing the defense spending sequestrations brought on by the Budget Control Act of 2011 and gained attention for defending State Department aide [[Huma Abedin]] against charges brought by a few House Republicans that she had ties to the [[Muslim Brotherhood]].<ref name="nyt-stalwart" />

[[File:Flickr - DVIDSHUB - Senators visit special operations forces soldiers in eastern Afghanistan (Image 6 of 15).jpg|thumb|right|alt=A group of about ten men walking along a road|The "Three Amigos" walking in [[Kunar Province]] in eastern Afghanistan in July 2011: McCain (second from left), [[Lindsey Graham]] (second from right in front), [[Joe Lieberman]] (right in front)<ref name="amigos" />]]

McCain continued to be one of the most frequently appearing guests on the Sunday morning news talk shows.<ref name="nyt-stalwart">Steinhauer, Jennifer. [https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/27/us/politics/once-a-rebel-mccain-now-walks-the-party-line.html "Once a Rebel, McCain Now Walks the Party Line"], ''[[The New York Times]]'' (July 27, 2012). Retrieved July 31, 2012.</ref>
He became one of the most vocal critics of the Obama administration's handling of the 2012 [[attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi]], saying it was a "debacle" that featured either "a massive cover-up or incompetence that is not acceptable" and that it was worse than the [[Watergate scandal]].<ref>Eldridge, David. [http://www.washingtontimes.com/blog/inside-politics/2012/oct/28/mccain-slams-obama-libya-nobody-died-watergate/ "McCain slams Obama on Libya: 'Nobody died in Watergate'"], ''[[The Washington Times]]'' (October 28, 2012). Retrieved November 16, 2012.</ref> As an outgrowth of this strong opposition, he and a few other senators were successful in blocking the planned nomination of Ambassador to the UN [[Susan Rice]] to succeed Hillary Rodham Clinton as U.S. Secretary of State; McCain's friend John Kerry was nominated instead.<ref>Ioffe, Julia. [http://www.tnr.com/blog/plank/111399/john-kerry-wins-national-office-last "John Kerry's Quiet Campaign Pays Off"], ''[[The New Republic]]'' (December 22, 2012). Retrieved December 23, 2012.</ref>

Regarding the [[Syrian civil war]] that had begun in 2011, McCain repeatedly argued for the U.S. intervening militarily in the conflict on the side of the anti-government forces. He staged a visit to rebel forces inside Syria in May 2013, the first senator to do so, and called for arming the [[Free Syrian Army]] with heavy weapons and for the establishment of a [[no-fly zone]] over the country. Following reports that two of the people he posed for pictures with had been responsible for the kidnapping of eleven Lebanese Shiite pilgrims the year before, McCain disputed one of the identifications and said he had not met directly with the other.<ref>{{cite news | last=Cassata | first =Donna |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/feedarticle/10818441 |title=McCain: Syrian rebels need heavy weapons |agency=[[Associated Press]] |work=[[The Guardian]] | date=May 31, 2013 | access-date= April 3, 2014}}</ref> Following the [[2013 Ghouta chemical weapons attack]], McCain argued again for strong American military action against the government of the Syrian president, [[Bashar al-Assad]], and in September 2013 cast a Foreign Relations committee vote in favor of Obama's request to Congress that it authorize a military response.<ref>[https://www.foxnews.com/politics/senate-panel-votes-to-authorize-syria-strike/ "Senate panel votes to authorize Syria strike"], [[Fox News]] (September 4, 2013). Retrieved September 11, 2013.</ref> McCain took the lead in criticizing a growing non-interventionist movement within the Republican Party, exemplified by his March 2013 comment that Senators [[Rand Paul]] and [[Ted Cruz]] and Representative [[Justin Amash]] were "wacko birds".<ref>Weiner, Rachel. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2013/03/08/mccain-calls-paul-cruz-amash-wacko-birds/ "McCain calls Paul, Cruz, Amash 'wacko birds'"], ''[[The Washington Post]]'' (March 8, 2013). Retrieved September 11, 2013.</ref>

[[File:Secretary Kerry and Senator McCain Chat With Members of the Saudi Royal Family.jpg|thumb|left|[[John Kerry|Kerry]] (far left) and McCain (third from left) with members of the [[Saudi Royal Family]] after greeting the new King [[Salman of Saudi Arabia]], Riyadh, January 2015]]

During 2013, McCain was a member of a bi-partisan group of senators, the "[[Gang of Eight (immigration)|Gang of Eight]]", which announced principles for another try at comprehensive immigration reform.<ref>Deruy, Emily. [https://abcnews.go.com/ABC_Univision/Politics/gang-accelerates-immigration-reform-pace/story?id=18354593 "Gang of Eight Accelerates Immigration Reform Pace"], [[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] (January 30, 2013). Retrieved February 2, 2013.</ref> The resulting [[Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013]] passed the Senate by a 68–32 margin, but faced an uncertain future in the House.<ref>[http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2013/07/19/McCain-Immigration-reform-backers-not-winning/UPI-81771374217200/ "McCain: Immigration-reform backers 'not winning'"], [[United Press International]] (July 19, 2013). Retrieved July 31, 2013.</ref> In July 2013, McCain was at the forefront of an agreement among senators to drop filibusters against Obama administration executive nominees without Democrats resorting to the "[[nuclear option]]" that would disallow such filibusters altogether.<ref>Condon, Stephanie. [https://www.cbsnews.com/news/senate-reaches-deal-to-avert-nuclear-option/ "Senate reaches deal to avert 'nuclear option'"], [[CBS News]] (July 16, 2013). Retrieved July 31, 2013.</ref><ref name="wapo-mav" /> However, the option would be imposed later in the year anyway, to the senator's displeasure.<ref name="nytm-ml2013" /> These developments and some other negotiations showed that McCain had become the leader of a power center in the Senate for cutting deals in an otherwise bitterly partisan environment.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.politico.com/story/2013/07/behind-the-curtain-new-power-triangle-94648.html |title=The new power triangle |work=[[Politico]] |date=July 23, 2013 | access-date = July 31, 2013 | first1= Mike | last1= Allen | first2= Jim | last2= Vandehei}}</ref><ref>Pace, Julie. [http://www.startribune.com/obama-and-mccain-washington-s-newest-odd-couple/217226071/ "Once heated White House rivals, Obama and McCain becoming bipartisan partners in second term"], Associated Press, ''[[Star Tribune]]'' (July 27, 2013). Retrieved July 31, 2013.</ref><ref name="alh-mav" /> They also led some observers to conclude that the "maverick" McCain had returned.<ref name="wapo-mav">Kane, Paul. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/john-mccain-helps-avert-senate-showdown/2013/07/16/61fb21b4-ee4f-11e2-bed3-b9b6fe264871_story.html "John McCain helps avert Senate showdown"], ''[[The Washington Post]]'' (July 16, 2013). Retrieved August 1, 2013.</ref><ref name="alh-mav">[[Al Hunt|Hunt, Albert R.]] [http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/07/29/3529240/mccain-a-maverick-again.html "McCain a maverick again"], ''[[Miami Herald]]'' (July 29, 2013). Retrieved August 1, 2013.</ref>

McCain was publicly skeptical about the Republican strategy that precipitated the [[U.S. federal government shutdown of 2013]] and [[U.S. debt-ceiling crisis of 2013]] to defund or delay the Affordable Care Act; in October 2013 he voted in favor of the [[Continuing Appropriations Act, 2014]], which resolved them and said, "Republicans have to understand we have lost this battle, as I predicted weeks ago, that we would not be able to win because we were demanding something that was not achievable."<ref>Weisman, Jonathan. [https://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/16/us/politics/congress-budget-debate.html "Senators Restart Talks as Default Looms"], ''[[The New York Times]]'' (October 15, 2013). Retrieved October 19, 2013.</ref> He was one of nine Republican senators who voted for the [[Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013]] at the end of the year.<ref>Barrett, Ted and Cohen, Tom. [http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/18/politics/senate-budget-deal/ "Senate approves budget, sends to Obama"], [[CNN]] (December 18, 2013). Retrieved December 20, 2013.</ref> By early 2014, McCain's apostasies were enough that the [[Arizona Republican Party]] formally censured him for having what they saw as a liberal record that had been "disastrous and harmful".<ref>Sanchez, Yvonne Wingett. [https://www.azcentral.com/news/politics/articles/20140125arizona-republican-party-mccain-censure-gop.html "Arizona GOP censures McCain for 'disastrous' record"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160405033843/http://www.azcentral.com/news/politics/articles/20140125arizona-republican-party-mccain-censure-gop.html |date=April 5, 2016 }}, ''[[The Arizona Republic]]'' (January 25, 2014). Retrieved January 26, 2014.</ref> McCain remained stridently opposed to many aspects of Obama's foreign policy, however, and in June 2014, following major gains by the [[Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant]] in the [[Northern Iraq offensive (June 2014)|2014 Northern Iraq offensive]], decried what he saw as a U.S. failure to protect its past gains in Iraq and called on the president's entire national security team to resign. McCain said, "Could all this have been avoided?{{nbsp}}... The answer is absolutely yes. If I sound angry it's because I am angry."<ref>Baron, Kevin. [http://www.nationaljournal.com/defense/mccain-calls-for-obama-s-national-security-team-to-resign-over-iraq-20140612 "McCain Calls for Obama's National Security Team to Resign Over Iraq"], ''[[National Journal]]'' (June 12, 2014). Retrieved June 14, 2014.</ref>

[[File:Маккейн на Євромайдані.jpg|thumb|right|McCain addresses anti-government protesters in [[Kyiv]], Ukraine, pledging his support for their cause, December 2013]]

McCain was a supporter of the [[Euromaidan]] protests against Ukrainian president [[Viktor Yanukovych]] and his government, and appeared in [[Maidan Nezalezhnosti|Independence Square]] in [[Kyiv]] in December 2013.<ref>Walsh, Nick Paton and Capelouto, Susanna. [http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/14/world/europe/ukraine-protests/ "Ukrainian protesters get visit from Sen. John McCain"], [[CNN]] (December 15, 2013). Retrieved December 17, 2014.</ref> Following the overthrow of Yanukovych and subsequent [[2014 Russian military intervention in Ukraine]], McCain became a vocal supporter of providing arms to Ukrainian military forces, saying the [[International sanctions during the Russo-Ukrainian War|sanctions imposed against Russia]] were not enough.<ref>Wong, Kristina. [https://thehill.com/policy/defense/224619-mccain-graham-call-for-us-to-arm-ukrainians/ "McCain, Graham call for US to arm Ukrainians"], ''[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]'' (November 18, 2014). Retrieved December 17, 2014.</ref> In 2014, McCain led the opposition to the appointments of [[Colleen Bell]], [[Noah Mamet]], and [[George James Tsunis|George Tsunis]] to the ambassadorships in Hungary, Argentina, and Norway, respectively, arguing they were unqualified.<ref>John, Arit. [https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2014-12-02/john-mccain-fights-loses-good-fight-against-bundlerambassadors "John McCain Fights, Loses Good Fight Against Bundler-Ambassadors"], [[Bloomberg News]] (December 2, 2014). Retrieved December 4, 2014.</ref> Unlike many Republicans, McCain supported the release and contents of the [[Senate Intelligence Committee report on CIA torture]] in December 2014, saying "The truth is sometimes a hard pill to swallow. It sometimes causes us difficulties at home and abroad. It is sometimes used by our enemies in attempts to hurt us. But the American people are entitled to it, nonetheless."<ref>Everett, Burgess. [http://www.politico.com/story/2014/12/cia-torture-report-republicans-react-113432.html "Torture report divides Republicans"], ''[[Politico]]'' (December 9, 2014). Retrieved December 10, 2014.</ref> He added that the CIA's practices following the September 11 attacks had "stained our national honor" while doing "much harm and little practical good" and that "Our enemies act without conscience. We must not."<ref>Jaffe, Alexandra. [http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/09/politics/mccain-lauds-release-terror-report/ "McCain makes passionate defense for torture report's release"], [[CNN]] (December 10, 2014). Retrieved December 20, 2014.</ref> He opposed the Obama administration's December 2014 decision to normalize [[Cuba–United States relations|relations with Cuba]].<ref>Bolton, Alexander. [https://thehill.com/policy/international/227467-gop-senators-slam-obamas-cuba-moves/ "GOP senators slam Obama's Cuba moves"], ''[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]'' (December 17, 2014). Retrieved December 20, 2014.</ref>

The [[114th United States Congress]] assembled in January 2015 with Republicans in control of the Senate, and McCain achieved one of his longtime goals when he became chairman of the Armed Services Committee.<ref name="nyt-chair" /> In this position, he led the writing of proposed Senate legislation that sought to modify parts of the [[Goldwater–Nichols Act of 1986]] to return responsibility for major weapons systems acquisition back to the individual armed services and their secretaries and away from the [[Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics]].<ref>[http://www.defensenews.com/story/breaking-news/2015/05/22/mccain-pentagon-weapons-reforms-budget-ndaa/27773133/ "McCain Would Let Services Out of 'Penalty Box'"], ''[[Defense News]]'' (May 22, 2015). Retrieved May 23, 2015.</ref> As chair, McCain tried to maintain a bipartisan approach and forged a good relationship with ranking member [[Jack Reed (Rhode Island politician)|Jack Reed]].<ref name="nyt-chair">Steinhauer, Jennifer. [https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/09/us/politics/mccain-uses-committee-post-to-press-for-defense-agenda.html "With Chairmanship, McCain Seizes Chance to Reshape Pentagon Agenda"], ''[[The New York Times]]'' (June 9, 2015). Retrieved June 10, 2015.</ref> In April 2015, McCain announced that he would run for a sixth term in [[2016 United States Senate election in Arizona|Arizona's 2016 Senate election]].<ref>Cheney, Kyle. [http://www.politico.com/story/2015/04/john-mccain-arizona-senate-2016-116722.html "John McCain announces reelection bid"], ''[[Politico]]'' (April 7, 2015). Retrieved April 9, 2015.</ref> During 2015, McCain strongly opposed the Obama administration's proposed comprehensive agreement on the Iranian nuclear program (later finalized as the [[Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action]] (JCPOA)), saying that Secretary of State Kerry was "delusional" and "giv[ing] away the store" in negotiations with Iran.<ref>{{cite news |first=Michael |last=Crowley |url=http://www.politico.com/story/2015/05/john-kerry-mccain-friends-foes-vietnam-senate-117877.html |title=John Kerry and John McCain: Once friends, now foes |work=[[Politico]] |date=May 13, 2015 |access-date=May 13, 2015}}</ref> McCain supported the [[Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen|Saudi Arabian-led military intervention in Yemen]] against the [[Houthis]] and forces loyal to former president [[Ali Abdullah Saleh]].<ref>Perry, Mark. [http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/4/17/us-generals-think-saudi-strikes-in-yemen-a-bad-idea.html "US generals: Saudi intervention in Yemen 'a bad idea'"], [[Al Jazeera Media Network|Al Jazeera]] (April 17, 2015). Retrieved June 20, 2015</ref>

[[File:總統出席接見美國聯邦參議院軍事委員會馬侃（John McCain）主席訪問團 (26882360893).jpg|thumb|Taiwanese president [[Tsai Ing-wen]] meets with McCain, the leader of the U.S. Senate delegation, June 2016]]

McCain accused President Obama of being "directly responsible" for the [[Orlando nightclub shooting]] "because when he pulled everybody out of Iraq, al-Qaeda went to Syria, became ISIS, and ISIS is what it is today thanks to Barack Obama's failures."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2016/06/16/john-mccain-obama-is-directly-responsible-for-orlando-attack/ |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|title=John McCain: Obama is 'directly responsible' for Orlando attack |date=June 16, 2016|access-date=June 18, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jun/17/john-mccain-obama-orlando-pretzel-logic|work=[[The Guardian]]|title=John McCain blamed Obama for the Orlando shooting. That's some pretzel logic |date=June 17, 2016|access-date=June 18, 2016}}</ref>

[[File:John McCain & Mitt Romney (23342266429).jpg|right|thumb|McCain campaigning with former Governor [[Mitt Romney|Romney]] in [[Mesa, Arizona]], during his 2016 re-election campaign]]

During the [[2016 Republican primaries]], McCain said he would support the Republican nominee even if it was [[Donald Trump]], in spite of his personal disagreements with Trump.

However, following [[Mitt Romney's 2016 anti-Trump speech]], McCain endorsed the sentiments expressed in that speech, saying he had serious concerns about Trump's "uninformed and indeed dangerous statements on national security issues".<ref name="ml2016">Dumcius, Gintautas. [http://www.masslive.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/03/sen_john_mccain_weighs_in_on_d.html "Sen. John McCain backs up Mitt Romney, says Donald Trump's comments 'uninformed and indeed dangerous'"], ''[[The Republican (Springfield, Massachusetts)|The Republican]]'' (March 3, 2016). Retrieved March 3, 2016.</ref> Relations between the two had been fraught since early in [[Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign|Trump's 2016 presidential campaign]], when McCain referred to a room full of Trump supporters as "crazies", and the real estate mogul then said of McCain: "He insulted me, and he insulted everyone in that room{{nbsp}}... He is a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren't captured{{nbsp}}... perhaps he was a war hero, but right now he's said a lot of very bad things about a lot of people."<ref name="ml2016" /><ref>{{cite news|author=Hains, Tim|url=http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2015/07/19/trump_on_mccain_he_is_a_war_hero_because_he_was_captured_i_like_people_who_werent_captured.html|date=July 19, 2015|title=Trump On McCain: "He Is A War Hero Because He Was Captured{{nbsp}}... I Like People Who Weren't Captured"|work=[[Real Clear Politics]]}}</ref> This was widely condemned by much of the Republican Party, with Senator [[Marco Rubio]] referring to Trump's comments as "offensive rantings", commentator [[Rick Santorum]] tweeting that "@SenJohnMcCain is an American hero, period", and Governor [[Scott Walker (politician)|Scott Walker]] using the comments as the basis for his denunciation of Trump in a campaign event in [[Sioux City, Iowa|Sioux City]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Schreckinger|first=Ben|title=Trump attacks McCain: 'I like people who weren't captured'|url=https://politi.co/2KOTac4|access-date=July 1, 2021|website=Politico|date=July 18, 2015 |language=en}}</ref> Following Trump becoming the presumptive nominee of the party on May 3, McCain said that Republican voters had spoken and he would support Trump.<ref>Raju, Manu. [http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/05/politics/john-mccain-jeff-flake-donald-trump/ "Flake, McCain split over backing Trump"], [[CNN]] (May 5, 2016). Retrieved May 7, 2016.</ref>

McCain himself faced a primary challenge from [[Kelli Ward]], a fervent Trump supporter, and then was expected to face a potentially strong challenge from Democratic Congresswoman [[Ann Kirkpatrick]] in the general election.<ref name="pol100816" /> The senator privately expressed worry over the effect that Trump's unpopularity among Hispanic voters might have on his own chances but also was concerned with more conservative pro-Trump voters; he thus kept his endorsement of Trump in place but tried to speak of him as little as possible given their disagreements.<ref>Everett, Burgess and Kim, Seung Min. [http://www.politico.com/story/2016/05/trump-latinos-mccain-222810 "McCain on tape: Trump damages my reelection hopes"], ''[[Politico]]'' (May 5, 2016). Retrieved May 7, 2016.</ref><ref>Barabak, Mark Z. [https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-mccain-trump-arizona-senate-20160823-snap-story.html "As John McCain fights for reelection, the Trump problem cuts two ways – both against him"], ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' (August 24, 2016). Retrieved August 24, 2016.</ref><ref>{{Cite news |first=Matt |last=Fuller |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/john-mccain-unendorses-trump_us_57f95fc1e4b0e655eab4f273 |title=John McCain Unendorses Donald Trump |newspaper=[[HuffPost]] |date=October 8, 2016}}</ref> However McCain defeated Ward in the primary by a double-digit percentage point margin and gained a similar lead over Kirkpatrick in general election polls, and when the [[Donald Trump Access Hollywood controversy|Donald Trump ''Access Hollywood'' controversy]] broke, he felt secure enough to on October{{nbsp}}8 withdraw his endorsement of Trump.<ref name="pol100816">Everett, Burgess. [http://www.politico.com/story/2016/10/mccain-trump-229380 "How McCain finally decided he couldn't stomach Trump anymore"], ''[[Politico]]'' (October 8, 2016). Retrieved October 8, 2016.</ref> McCain stated that Trump's "demeaning comments about women and his boasts about sexual assaults" made it "impossible to continue to offer even conditional support" and added that he would not vote for Hillary Clinton, but would instead "[[write in]] the name of some good conservative Republican who is qualified to be president."<ref>Siddiqui, Sabrina; Jacobs, Ben; Helmore, Edward. [https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/oct/08/john-mccain-donald-trump-sex-boast-tape "John McCain withdraws support for Donald Trump over groping boasts"], ''[[The Guardian]]'' (October 8, 2016). Retrieved October 8, 2016.</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Aaron |last=Blake |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/10/07/the-gops-brutal-responses-to-the-new-trump-video-broken-down/ |title=Three dozen Republicans have now called for Donald Trump to drop out |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=October 9, 2016}}</ref> McCain defeated Kirkpatrick, securing a sixth term as United States Senator from Arizona.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/09/us/politics/arizona-senate-john-mccain.html|title=John McCain Wins Arizona Senate Race|work=[[The New York Times]]|first=Fernanda |last=Santos|date=November 8, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161115042350/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/09/us/politics/arizona-senate-john-mccain.html|archive-date=November 15, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

In November 2016, McCain obtained a copy of a [[Steele dossier|dossier regarding the Trump presidential campaign's links to Russia]] compiled by [[Christopher Steele]].<ref>{{Cite news |title=How the Trump dossier came to light: secret sources, a retired spy and John McCain |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jan/11/trump-russia-report-opposition-research-john-mccain |first1=Julian |last1=Borger |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=August 26, 2018|date=January 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180211165530/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jan/11/trump-russia-report-opposition-research-john-mccain |archive-date=February 11, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> In December 2016, McCain passed on the dossier to FBI Director [[James Comey]]. McCain later wrote that he felt the dossier's "allegations were disturbing" but unverifiable by himself, so he let the FBI investigate.<ref>{{Cite news | last=Resnick | first=Gideon | title=McCain Defends Giving Trump Dossier to Comey: Duty Demanded I Do It | newspaper=[[The Daily Beast]] | date=May 9, 2018 | url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/mccain-confirms-he-gave-trump-dossier-to-comey-duty-demanded-i-do-it | access-date=May 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180510013213/https://www.thedailybeast.com/mccain-confirms-he-gave-trump-dossier-to-comey-duty-demanded-i-do-it |archive-date=May 10, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>