DAMAGE CONTROL

Senate Republicans: Don’t Blame McConnell for Another Health-Care Defeat

“You don't know what you're talking about,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said.

Senate Republicans quickly deflected blame for another health care defeat away from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), just minutes after they decided against voting on a new iteration of repealing and replacing Obamacare. “To the leader, thank you. It’s complicated. It’s difficult politics. Instead of quitting, you allowed us to move forward, and oh my God how far we’ve come in such a short time,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), one of the bill’s authors. “To anybody out there who thinks that Mitch McConnell has not done all he could, you don't know what you're talking about.” Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) told The Daily Beast that McConnell and the rest of the Republican leadership have done a good job despite the numerous defeats on health care this year. “The people that are complaining about the leadership—that’s just an excuse, as far as I’m concerned,” Kennedy said. Individuals close to President Trump—as well as their allies in the media—were already preparing this week to lay the blame squarely at McConnell’s feet.

—Andrew Desiderio