McConnell Backing Down to Trump on Border Deal Leaves Senate Republicans Confused as Critics Denounce ‘Incredible Cowardice’
AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite
Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) kicked up a bevy of criticism on Wednesday when he told his Republican colleagues during a closed-door meeting that the “politics” of a border deal have changed as former President Donald Trump is opposed to legislation beefing up border security.
Punchbowl’s Jake Sherman scooped the comments and tweeted:
MCCONNELL told a closed meeting of Senate Republicans Wed that the politics of the border has flipped for Rs and cast doubt on linking Ukraine and border.
“When we started this, the border united us and Ukraine divided us.”
“The politics on this have changed,” McConnell then told his GOP colleagues.
This is ALL about Trump.
McConnell referred to Trump as “the nominee” and noted the former president wants to run his 2024 campaign centered on immigration. And the GOP leader said, “We don’t want to do anything to undermine him.”
“We’re in a quandary,” McConnell added.
“McConnell has now shifted blame on the border to Trump. And Democrats get a very useful talking point — Republicans walked away from a bipartisan deal that could’ve helped stem the crisis at the border,” added Sherman in a follow-up tweet on Thursday morning, discussing the impact of McConnell’s comments.
CBS News’s Alan He reported Sen. Mitt Romney’s reaction (R-UT) to McConnell’s comments. “It was hard for me to see what Leader McConnell was suggesting. He seems to be of two minds in the conversation. But reading the reports this morning, and the fact that he hasn’t corrected them suggests that he is inclined to listen to what former President Trump wants,” said Romney.
“I just, I don’t know where Leader McConnell is on this,” Romney added.
Utah’s other Republican senator, Mike Lee, blasted McConnell for tying border security to aid for Ukraine in the first place. “The “quandary” isn’t Trump’s fault. It’s the product of McConnell’s practice of negotiating deals that sharply divide Republicans while uniting Democrats.”
Politico’s Alex Ward spoke to Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) who made it clear that McConnell will still pursue aid for Ukraine. “Sen. Graham tells me there’s been an “overreading” of McConnell’s comments. He was just talking about “the evolution of politics,” per Graham. When asked if McConnell might sacrifice Ukraine aid over a border fight, he chuckled and responded: ‘No, God no,’” reporter Ward.
While Republicans in the Senate seem to be unsure of McConnell’s path forward, many in the media were quick to pounce.
“The Republicans DO NOT CARE about America… they care about power. If you’re a Republican elected and you aren’t speaking out against this travesty, you are complicit,” replied former GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL).
“Incredible cowardice and pure lust for power. Nothing is about policy, nothing is about doing what’s best for the country,” wrote the Atlantic’s Tom Nichols.
Below are some more reactions:
__
