MSNBC Guest Says GOP Candidates Tell Her ‘They Wish Donald Trump Would Be Quiet’ and Stop Playing ‘Martyr’

Washington Post national reporter Carol Leonnig told MSNBC Tuesday that Republican candidates are telling her privately they wish former President Donald Trump would “be quiet.”

Leonnig joined Hallie Jackson Reports. Guest host Joe Fryer asked her how she feels Trump’s messaging following the Mar-a-Lago raid is affecting GOP candidates ahead of the midterms.

Fryer shared a Monday post from Trump on Truth Social, where he said:

Remember, it takes courage and “guts” to fight a totally corrupt Department of “Justice” and the FBI. They are being pushed to do the wrong things by many sinister and evil outside sources.

Until impartiality, wisdom, fairness, and courage are shown by them, our Country can never come back or recover—it will be reduced to being a Third World Nation!

Fryer asked, “Politically how is this rhetoric going over with Republicans, especially heading into November?”

Leonnig said the candidates she has spoken to have told her the former should refrain from complaining.

“You know, what I hear privately from Republicans is they wish Donald Trump would be quiet,” she said. “People who are running for office, this may be popular for him, playing the martyr violin.”

She said while Trump gins up support and sympathy, there is nothing about his fight with the Justice Department and the National Archives candidates in close races can use to reach voters.

Leonnig also said in spite of Trump’s claims he is being targeted by a corrupt government, multiple agencies tried for some time to work with him to get back documents found in his home.

“The National Archives was begging Trump and his aides at Mar-a-Lago to please, please, pretty please with a cherry on top turn over these records, and were repeatedly stiff-armed,” she said.

Watch above, via MSNBC.

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