The White House communications staff is rallying behind Kelly Sadler, the embattled communications staffer who made a joke about how John McCain’s opinions on torture don’t matter because “he’s dying anyway.”

Not only has Sadler’s boss, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, refused to apologize for the insensitive joke and scolded her staff about leaks, a second staffer has reportedly said that she wants to go on the record supporting her colleague and the joke.

Mercedes Schlapp said that she supports Sadler and told the other staffers—five of whom appear to have leaked the troubling incident— that she wanted everyone to know it, in the private meeting.

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I guess that’s kind of like @mercedesschlapp backing the nasty remarks about a dying American Hero..but wait..there was a joke about eye make up..Christian..I think not..wrong god there mercedes..

— Adrienne Young #Resist (@gentlemindmom) May 12, 2018

During a W.H. Comms team meeting, strategic comms director Mercedes Schlapp said: “You can put this on the record… I stand with Kelly Sadler.”

Sources tell Axios leaders spent more time focused on the leak, than that it was said in the first place. https://t.co/QEyGNShHJU

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) May 12, 2018

The fact that the White House’s communications shop refuses accountability and will not apologize for the incident after so many Washington insiders tripped over themselves running to rally around Huckabee Sanders after her eye makeup was lightly mocked by a comedian during a roast has registered as a bitter irony to some on Twitter.

[Michelle Wolf makes harmless joke about Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ lies]
—White House: WE DEMAND AN APOLOGY!!

[Kelly Sadler makes horrible non-joke about John McCain’s health]
—White House: I don’t think any apology is necessary. She can keep her job.
😠

— Santa Claus, CEO 🎅🏻 (@SantaInc) May 11, 2018

Mercedes Schlapp was outraged at Michelle Wolf for standard comedy roast humor about Sarah Sanders, who lies to the American people every day, and MORE than deserved it.

Now this lowlife hypocrite Schlapp defends Kelly Sadler vile statement about John McCain. 🙄#SaturdayMorning pic.twitter.com/tSXGIaOZDt

— PassMeAPickle (@CeeLeeMusic) May 12, 2018

“You can put this on the record… I stand with Kelly Sadler,” Mercedes Schlapp said, two weeks after making a huge stink over Michelle Wolf’s jokes about Sarah Sanders’ “perfect smokey eye” https://t.co/GOcW4b0PKg

— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) May 12, 2018

So, the GOP was infuriated when Michelle Wolf discussed Huckabee -Sanders’s “perfect smokey eye,” but Sadler’s ” joke” about a dying war hero is okay? Fuck those hypocrites! https://t.co/iPtuSL7Tn9

— Rita Lilly (@RitaLiLz) May 12, 2018

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