MSNBC's Morning Joe traces GOP's 'sickness' to Trump's attacks on McCain's military service

MSNBC's Joe Scarborough hammered the Republican Party for standing by while President Donald Trump trashed the legacy of Sen. John McCain.

The "Morning Joe" host and his co-host Willie Geist traced the GOP's capitulation to Trump's attack on McCain's military service early in his presidential campaign.

"It's baked into the cake for Donald Trump as a public figure, he's just abhorrent," Scarborough said. "He's an abhorrent example, he's an abhorrent public servant, and he's also completely brainwashed an entire political party."

Scarborough pointed to Trump's rambling speech at the recent Conservative Political Action Conference, where the audience cheered his insults against the late McCain.

"I know rank-and-file Republicans who call John McCain a, quote, traitor, a traitor, which is disgusting -- he is the opposite of that," Scarborough said. "While Donald Trump was getting D's and playing ping pong and golf, you know, at some Ivy League school, John McCain was putting it all on the line for his family."

"Donald Trump -- how many deferments for bone spurs?" Scarborough added. "Calling John McCain a traitor. That is a sickness in the Republican Party."

Geist said the Republican Party had sold out to Trump long before he became the GOP presidential nominee, and the former reality TV star mocked McCain's years as a prisoner of war.

"It's one thing for Donald Trump to say the things he's going to say, he's been saying them since July of 2015," Geist said. "If you go back it was a significant day in American history, I hate to say it, because we all thought you can't say that about John McCain. You can be critical of the way he votes but you can't criticize the commitment to his country and the question of whether he's a hero."

"Donald Trump did it and not only got away with it, but his support went up," Geist added. "We know that's baked in."