Senator Ron Johnson has pulled back on his comment that Senator John McCain's tumor had an affect on his dissenting vote on health care.
Johnson said in a radio interview that McCain's brain tumor and the early morning hours may have affected his vote on the Senate bill to repeal Obamacare.
"Again, I'm not going to speak for John McCain -- he has a brain tumor right now -- that vote occurred at 1:30 in the morning, some of that might have factored in."
He has since back tracked and explained he was "just expressing sympathy," and that McCain was "not impaired in any way, shape or form" when he cast his crucial "no" vote on health care reform late last month.
"A lot of us had a real problem with that skinny repeal, and we weren't going to vote for it until we got that assurance from (House Speaker Paul Ryan). Listen, I was trying to defend his position and truthfully express my sympathy for his health condition. Again, I reached out to John, I'm hoping to talk to him today. I have the greatest respect for John McCain"
McCain spokeswoman Julie Tarallo said in a statement to CNN that Johnson's comments were "bizarre and deeply unfortunate."
"It is bizarre and deeply unfortunate that Senator Johnson would question the judgment of a colleague and friend. Senator McCain has been very open and clear about the reasons for his vote."