White House press secretary Sarah Sanders declined to issue a full-throated defense of Republican congressional leaders a day after a former senior administration official claimed House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., want to block President Trump’s populist agenda.
“Right now the president is committed to working with the leadership we have,” Sanders told reporters at the White House on Monday.
Steve Bannon, recently ousted White House chief strategist, claimed in an interview with “60 Minutes” that aired Sunday that Ryan and McConnell don’t want to see Trump’s legislative agenda progress. “The president is committed to working with Congress to get some big things done,” Sanders said, noting Trump has demonstrated a willingness to work with both Republicans and Democrats.
Sanders brushed off Bannon’s incendiary comments about congressional Republicans and the firing of former FBI Director James Comey, which Bannon described as a major mistake. She later said the former top strategist tends to use hyberbole. “I think that Steve always likes to speak in the most extreme measures,” Sanders said.
