National remembrance of John McCain held at US Capitol

The flag-covered casket of John McCain arrived at the U.S. Capitol on Friday morning, beginning two days of national tributes to the longtime Republican senator from Arizona.

McCain’s wife, Cindy, and other members of his family watched from the steps of the East Plaza as his casket was carried into the Capitol, where he served for more than 30 years in elected office.

Family, friends, lawmakers and other guests, including some celebrities, gathered in the Capitol’s rotunda for a televised ceremony.

Vice President Mike Pence — who greeted McCain’s 106-year-old mother, Roberta McCain, ahead of the service — was among those to speak.

“On behalf of a grateful nation,” Pence said in closing, “we will ever remember that John McCain served his country and John McCain served his country honorably.”

People close to the White House and McCain’s family said President Donald Trump was asked to stay away from all events. During the presidential campaign, Trump mocked McCain for getting captured during the Vietnam War.

Pence was joined by top White House officials including Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, Chief of Staff John Kelly, National Security Adviser John Bolton, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.

Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, former Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman and actor Warren Beatty were among those pausing at McCain’s casket as the senator lay in state under the dome.

A solemn moment as the McCain family, including his 106-year-old mother Roberta, says goodbye to the father, husband and son in the U.S. Capitol. https://t.co/wPTNYJk6wS pic.twitter.com/666AREwMjX

— ABC News (@ABC) August 31, 2018

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Speaker Paul Ryan also delivered remarks, and Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer were flanked by scores of lawmakers.

Ryan said McCain may never have reached his goal of the White House, but he achieved something “far more enduring – the abiding affection of his fellow citizens and an example for future generations.”

McCain, who died Saturday at age 81 following a yearlong battle with brain cancer, was a two-time presidential candidate and the 2008 GOP nominee.

The stop at the Capitol was designed to spotlight McCain’s outsized role in an institution bursting with big, willful personalities. Just to the north of the rotunda in the semi-darkened Senate, McCain’s desk remained draped in black and topped with a vase of white roses.

After the ceremony, Cindy McCain quietly sat behind her husband’s desk, escorted by his seatmate and close friend, Sen. Lindsey Graham. Graham plucked two of the roses from the vase and gave them to her during that private moment, said two people close to McCain and his family.

After the memorial, the rotunda was to open for public visitation.

Friday’s activities came after two days of tributes in Arizona

On Saturday, a procession will carry McCain to the Vietnam Memorial and then head for Washington National Cathedral for a formal funeral service. At McCain’s request, two former presidents — Barack Obama and George W. Bush — were expected to speak there.

A private memorial service will take place Sunday at the U.S. Naval Academy Chapel in Annapolis, Maryland, before McCain is laid to rest at the nearby U.S. Naval Academy Cemetery.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

KTAR News 92.3 FM will carry live, uninterrupted coverage of the national memorial service for Sen. John McCain at 7-9 a.m. Saturday.

Follow @KTAR923