‘Greatly Disappointed’: WH Shreds Mitch McConnell For Voting Against Tulsi Gabbard

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked on Wednesday to weigh in on the Trump administration’s reaction to Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) voting against Tulsi Gabbard earlier in the day as she was confirmed as director of national intelligence.

Veteran White Correspondent John Decker asked, “One on foreign policy, one on domestic policy, following up on the president’s call that he had with President Putin, does the president view Russia, does he view President Putin as an ally, as a partner, as a competitor, or as an adversary?”

“I believe this nation views Putin and Russia as a great competitor in the region, at times an adversary. But as the president has said as well, he enjoys having good diplomatic relationships with leaders around the world, finding that common ground, also calling them out when they are wrong, and leading from a position of peace through strength. That’s the president’s greatest strength. And we’ve seen that again time and time again,” Leavitt replied.

“And then, as you pointed out in your statement regarding the confirmation of Tulsi Gabbard, there was one Republican who voted against the nomination of Tulsi Gabbard. It was Senator Mitch McConnell. Similarly, how does the administration view Senator McConnell?” Decker followed up, adding:

Can he be a partner in the president’s legislative agenda? Are you disappointed that he voted against not only Tulsi Gabbard, but also Pete Hegseth to be the defense secretary?

“I think we’re greatly disappointed in any Republican who chooses willfully to vote against the president’s exceptionally qualified Cabinet nominees and picks to lead his America First administration. Not a single Democrat swayed from voting against President Biden’s nominees,” replied Leavitt, adding:

And we know how many of them turned out. They turned out to be atrocious at their jobs, leaving America much worse than they were when they took the oath of office. And so I’ve said it repeatedly from this podium. I addressed it at the beginning of my remarks. We expect all Republicans to vote to stay tough and strong. Vote for President Trump’s nominee so we can get to work and continue to work very hard to implement this president’s agenda.

McConnell holds the record as the longest-serving party leader in the history of the U.S. Senate, having only recently stepped down as GOP leader. McConnell played a pivotal role in Trump escaping conviction in his second impeachment trial, but has since become a primary target of Trump’s vitriol on a variety of issues. Trump has also launched personal attacks against McConnell’s wife, Elaine Chao, who served in Trump’s first cabinet.

Watch the clip above via Fox News.