Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. John McCain says a free press is vital "to preserve democracy as we know it." And he cautions about efforts to muzzle a free press, saying "that's how dictators get started."
The Arizona senator was asked in an interview for NBC's "Meet the Press" how he felt about President Donald Trump's tweet criticizing "the fake news media" that said "it is the enemy of the American people."
McCain tells "Meet the Press," ''The fact is we need you."
He adds: "When you look at history, the first thing dictators do is shut down the press."
McCain says he isn't saying Trump is trying to be a dictator but "we need to learn the lessons of history."
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
