Sen. John McCain on Trump administration scandals: 'We've seen this movie before

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) responded Tuesday to the multiple scandals that have embroiled President Donald Trump's White House in just the first few months of the administration, the most recent of which The New York Times chronicled in a report published Tuesday.

The Times story alleged that Trump asked then-FBI Director James Comey to "let go" the agency's investigation into ousted White House national security adviser Michael Flynn's interactions with members of the Russian government.

McCain said "we've seen this movie before" and compared the situation to Watergate. The senator made the comment at a dinner at the International Republican Institute in Washington, D.C., where he accepted the organization's Freedom Award, the Arizona Republic reported.

During the event, McCain responded to a question from CBS News' Bob Schieffer about Trump and his scandals, saying:

About the only thing I can say is, I think we've seen this movie before. I think it's reaching a point of where it's of Watergate size and scale and a couple of other scandals that you and I have seen. It's the centipede that the shoe continues to drop. And every couple of days there's a new aspect of this really unhappy situation.

McCain said that, "no matter what our political leanings are," the latest development is "not good for America."

The Arizona Republican also voiced concern about what the Trump-Comey controversy could mean for his party in the 2018 midterm elections.

Then, noting how Republicans have yet to replace Obamacare or usher in tax reform, McCain issued a warning to his GOP colleagues:

"I have to honestly speak to truth to my Republican friends. I don't see how you can say that just the confirmation of Judge Gorsuch is enough of a record for us to stand before the American people in 2018," McCain said, referring to the vote to confirm Justice Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court last month.

The New York Times reported Tuesday that Trump asked Comey to stop investigating Flynn, who resigned in February after misleading Vice President Mike Pence about meeting with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak.

The Times based its reporting on memos Comey allegedly wrote before Trump fired the FBI director last week.