How John McCain’s Brain Became 'Fake News'
A polarizing debate about a reversible cause of dementia
A blood clot in John McCain’s head has caused confusion, not necessarily on the part of the senator.
On Saturday evening, multiple news organizations reported that McCain had been hospitalized for removal of a blood clot “above his left eye.” This was based on a statement from McCain’s office, which said he “underwent a procedure to remove a blood clot from above his left eye.”
The phrasing was accurate, if potentially misleading, taken in isolation.
The clot was technically above McCain’s eye, meaning inside the skull, as is made clear by the rest of the senator’s statement: “Surgeons successfully removed the five-centimeter blood clot during a minimally invasive craniotomy with an eyebrow
