President Donald Trump launched a blistering attack on Sen. Mitch McConnell on Thursday, portraying the retiring Kentucky Republican as embittered, disloyal, and undeserving of the praise he has received over the years for reshaping the federal judiciary.
Trump made the remarks during an Oval Office question-and-answer session following the signing of a proclamation rolling back fishing regulations enacted during the Obama administration. The exchange was broadcast live on Newsmax and the network’s streaming platform, Newsmax2.
The President was asked about the possibility that Senate Republicans could pursue a third budget reconciliation package, a proposal that has been floated as a vehicle for additional funding tied to the conflict with Iran, election-security measures connected to the SAVE America Act, and restrictions on transgender athletes competing in women’s sports.
Earlier this week, McConnell, who is stepping down at the end of his current term and will not serve in the next Congress, cast doubt on the idea during a Senate hearing.
“I think it’s safe to conclude there will not be another reconciliation bill, so it’s really not an option.”
Trump responded with a lengthy criticism of the former Senate Republican leader.
“McConnell is an angry man,” Trump said. “You know, he got thrown out of his position [as Senate GOP leader]. He’s an angry guy. You know, he should be very thankful to me because if I didn’t win, he wouldn’t have gotten to a point … I appointed the judges. He didn’t.
“He gets credit for appointing judges. He didn’t appoint anybody. I did. You know how I did? I won the election and then I picked judges, and the judges ended up getting approved and they said, oh, didn’t he do a good job?
“He didn’t do a good job. What the hell did he do? I won the election.”
The President also accused McConnell of undermining Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who succeeded him as Republican leader in the upper chamber.
“He’s an angry man who’s very disloyal to John Thune,” Trump said. “John Thune is a good man. He was a loyal worker for Mitch McConnell. He worked very hard. He was very loyal to him.
“I disagree with him a lot because Mitch McConnell gave so much money to Democrats. He gave them money. I had to go get the [border] wall money from the military [in Trump’s first term]. I just took it out of the military because that guy wouldn’t do anything.
“No, Mitch McConnell’s a bad guy. And I thought he was lousy at his job. But the only thing they gave him a lot of credit was for judges.
“But I’m the one that got the judges. You know why? I won the election. If I didn’t win the election, he wouldn’t have had any judges.”
The conversation then shifted to reports that the White House is preparing a supplemental funding request for Congress. While the Pentagon initially discussed a package approaching $200 billion to replenish weapons stockpiles and maintain military readiness, recent reports indicate the administration may ultimately seek between $80 billion and $100 billion.
Rather than address the details of the funding proposal, Trump turned his attention to Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, criticizing the Republican senator over her voting record.
Last month, Murkowski joined Sens. Susan Collins and Rand Paul in voting alongside Democrats to advance a measure aimed at preventing U.S. military action against Iran without congressional approval.
Trump argued that despite efforts by his administration to benefit Alaska, Murkowski has consistently opposed his agenda.
“But you have him. You have Murkowski,” Trump said. “I’ve done so much for Murkowski. And Murkowski is terrible. Terrible to us, terrible to the country. I almost feel guilty.
“I [have] probably done more for Alaska than any other state, not because of her, because it’s the right thing to do. She’s just an impediment. But she’s there. She probably will be a negative vote.”
{Matzav.com}
