Sarah Palin, the ex-Alaska governor who served as John McCain’s running mate when he ran for president in 2008, is reportedly banned from his funeral.
According to US media, the request to Mrs 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”.
Mrs Palin was unveiled as McCain’s running mate exactly 10 years ago.
“The Palin family will always cherish their friendship with the McCains and hold those memories dear,” the family representative told a reporter on Wednesday.
The 81-year-old Arizona Republican senator and former Vietnam prisoner-of-war died last Saturday after a battle with brain cancer.
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.
According to the magazine, stay-away messages were conveyed through an intermediary to Mrs Palin.
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.
Source: BBC
