White House Lashes Out at GOP Congress for ‘Not Getting the Job Done’
Corker’s record on Iran deal at odds with Trump spox’s account
The White House on Tuesday deepened President Donald Trump’s feud with his own party, criticizing Republican lawmakers for “not getting the job done” and the entire Senate for taking too many “vacations.”
Asked if Trump is alienating himself by attacking GOP lawmakers like Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters Congress has alienated itself by “not getting the job done.”
“Time and time again, Congress has made promises and failed to deliver,” she said, pointing to a failed Republican push to pass a health care overhaul bill as an example.
White House officials also are annoyed that Congress takes frequent week-long breaks, with Sanders letting that frustration show during her daily press briefing.
“We’d be a lot better off if the Senate would stop taking vacations,” Sanders said when asked if Trump’s feuds with Corker and other Republicans are hindering pursuit of the GOP-Trump legislative agenda.
And speaking of Trump’s ongoing war of words with the GOP Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman, Sanders was critical of Corker two days after Trump went after him on Twitter. The Tennessee Republican responded with his own tweet and then a New York Times interview in which he lambasted the president.
She claimed that in 2015, as the Obama administration finalized the deal with Iran, Corker worked with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to ensure it was inked. Corker “rolled out the red carpet” for the Obama administration’s pact with Tehran, Sanders said.
Trump himself also in recent days has attempted to hang the nuclear accord around Corker’s neck. In one tweet, the president wrote this: “He is also largely responsible for the horrendous Iran Deal!”
Senator Bob Corker “begged” me to endorse him for re-election in Tennessee. I said “NO” and he dropped out (said he could not win without…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 8, 2017
..my endorsement). He also wanted to be Secretary of State, I said “NO THANKS.” He is also largely responsible for the horrendous Iran Deal!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 8, 2017
In fact, Corker opposed the deal.
Corker worked to craft legislation that gave Congress an opportunity to weigh in on the agreement, without which Obama may have moved ahead without legislative input.
Niels Lesniewski contributed to this report.
