Yesterday, we learned that President Donald Trump chewed out Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell over matters related to the open investigation into Russia, and Trump. Today, we learn from a Politico report that Trump also “clashed with multiple GOP senators,” not just McConnell, over Russia.
"He was clearly frustrated," one person said of Trump’s call with Corker earlier this month, about Mueller's investigation into Russia matters. Trump is obsessed with blocking proposed legislation that would prevent him from firing Mueller, Politico reports.
Donald Trump privately vented his frustration over Russia-related matters with at least two other Republican senators this month, according to people familiar with the conversations — in addition to the president's public admonishments of Mitch McConnell, John McCain, and Jeff Flake.
Trump expressed frustration over a bipartisan bill sanctioning Russia and tried to convince Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) that it wasn't good policy, according to three people familiar with the call. Trump argued that the legislation was unconstitutional and said it would damage his presidency. Corker was unrelenting, these people said, and told Trump the bill was going to pass both houses with bipartisan support.
Trump dialed up Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) on Aug. 7, two days before a blunt call with the Senate majority leader that spilled over into a public feud. Tillis is working with Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) on a bill designed to protect Robert Mueller, the independent counsel investigating the president's Russia connections, from any attempt by Trump to fire him.
The Mueller bill came up during the Tillis-Trump conversation, according to a source briefed on the call — the latest signal of the president's impatience with GOP senators' increasing declarations of independence from his White House. Trump was unhappy with the legislation and didn't want it to pass, one person familiar with the call said.
A Tillis spokesman confirmed the date of the senator's call with the president but declined to comment on the substance or tone of the conversation. A Corker spokeswoman described the late July conversation as a "productive conversation about the congressional review portion of the Russia sanctions bill."
Image: Reuters.
