CNN Anchor Calls It ‘Glaring’ Johnson Not Joined by McConnell After ‘Intense’ WH Meeting: ‘Can’t Even Stand at a Podium Together’
CNN’s Boris Sanchez called it “glaring” to see the Democratic congressional leadership standing side-by-side after a meeting at the White House, while House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) offered a solo press conference.
President Joe Biden met with Johnson, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on Tuesday to discuss issues that have reached a standstill in Congress, such as funding for Ukraine and addressing the southern border.
Schumer called it one of the most “intense” meetings he’s ever been part of. Johnson is the outlier of that group who has refused to support a supplemental spending package pushed by the president with funding for Ukraine and more, as well as a recent bipartisan border bill. Johnson said he was “very optimistic” after the meeting, while Schumer said he warned Johnson that “history is watching” when it comes to his decisions on Ukraine.
“It was glaring to me that while we saw the Democratic leadership on Capitol Hill together there outside the White House, we did not see the Senate minority leader alongside Speaker Johnson. Mitch McConnell was not there,” Sanchez said on Tuesday in a discussion with fellow CNN anchor Brianna Keilar and CNN senior political analyst Mark Preston.
Sanchez said Johnson and McConnell are not “aligned in a way that they can’t even stand at a podium together and put forward a basic agreement on what the country should do when it comes to pairing the border issues with funding for partners overseas.”
Preston argued the larger House can be much harder to control than the Senate where a few leaders that have more influence over the entire GOP body. The House, he added, is “raucous.”
Keilar then read from McConnell’s statements after the White House meeting where the Republican leader said avoiding a looming government shutdown was discussed and he declared, “I think we are making some headway” on the appropriations process to fund the government.
“Generic language,” Sanchez said in reaction.
“Very generic language,” Keilar agreed.
Watch above via CNN.
