McCain, The top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, is the highest level American official to visit the rebel-held east, giving a boost to the anti-Gadhafi forces. Details of the trip were shrouded in secrecy due to heightened security in a country fiercely divided by the two-month-old anti-Gadhafi rebellion.
http://www.aolnews.com/2011/04/22/john-mccain-lauds-anti-gadhafi-force-during-libya-visit/