Kelli Ward, who is running in the Republican primary this week to replace Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) in Washington, implied Saturday that the late Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) decision on Friday to discontinue medical treatment for his severe brain cancer — or the media coverage thereof — was purposefully timed to create “a particular narrative that they hope is negative to me.”

It wasn’t immediately clear whether the Trump-aligned, alt-right-catering Arizona Senate candidate was referring to the McCain family or the media.

Hours after the comment, McCain died.

KPNX’s Brahm Resnik captured Ward’s comment, which came in response to a Ward staffer’s Facebook post, in a screenshot:

WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?@kelliwardaz staffer: I wonder if John McCain’s trying to steal attention from Ward’s bus tour by announcing his life is coming to an end.

Ward: Yup, it’s all about me. #AZSEN pic.twitter.com/AXKAOhKYkU — BrahmResnik (@brahmresnik) August 25, 2018

Ward subsequently asserted: “It’s not the McCains creating a narrative – it’s the media making something out of nothing.”

@kelliwardaz deleted that comment on the FB thread. She has now posted this comment, blaming the media. pic.twitter.com/EYozlaLRzT — BrahmResnik (@brahmresnik) August 25, 2018

McCain’s “decades of service will not be forgotten by the men & women of Arizona,” Ward wrote on Twitter Saturday. “May God grant the McCain family comfort and peace during this difficult time.”