On the same day that Anthony Scaramucci was removed as White House Communications Director, leaks have been flowing out of the Trump administration.
According CNBC’s John Harwood, an anonymous “Ryan-Priebus” ally revealed to the reporter that President Trump is preparing to plot a more “independent” course for the White House, while taking on GOP lawmakers.
“Ryan-Priebus ally to me: next phase of Trump presidency will be warfare against GOP Congress,” tweeted Harwood.
Ryan-Priebus ally to me: next phase of Trump presidency will be warfare against GOP Congress
— John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) July 28, 2017
“Ryan-Priebus ally tells me Trump is moving toward “an independent WH” untethered from the Republican Party,” finished the CNBC reporter.
Ryan-Priebus ally tells me Trump is moving toward "an independent WH" untethered from the Republican Party
— John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) July 28, 2017
On Monday, Rand Paul appeared to have corroborated Harwood’s tweets, telling Reuters that President Trump is leaning toward executive action when it comes to healthcare.
Reuters reports:
U.S. Senator Rand Paul said he spoke to President Donald Trump by phone about healthcare reform on Monday and told the president he thought Trump had the authority to create associations that would allow organizations to offer group health insurance plans.
Paul, a Republican, told reporters that Trump was considering taking some form of executive action to address problems with the healthcare system after the Senate failed last week to pass a measure to reform the system.
Allowing groups like AARP, which represents retirees, to form health associations could enable individuals and small businesses to form larger groups to negotiate with health insurance companies for lower rates.
President Trump has reportedly taken aim at GOP Senator Jeff Flake, exploring ways to help oust the Never Trumper from his Senate seat.
Hot Air wrote:
First came the story that Trump was maybe possibly kinda sorta willing to spend $10 million of his own money to defeat Flake (spoiler: he won’t), now this. The White House really wants to teach Flake a lesson about loyalty, huh?
In related news, a sitting president is contemplating boosting a primary challenge to a senator from his own party. At a moment when his party barely holds a majority in the Senate.
The White House has met with at least three actual or prospective primary challengers to Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake in recent weeks, a reflection of Donald Trump’s strained relations with the senator and the latest sign of the president’s willingness to play hardball with lawmakers who cross him — even Republican incumbents…
Since taking office, Trump has spoken with Arizona state Treasurer Jeff DeWit, a top official on his 2016 campaign, on at least two occasions, according to two sources familiar with the talks. More recently, since June, White House officials have also had discussions with former state Sen. Kelli Ward, who has announced her bid, and former Arizona GOP Chairman Robert Graham, who like DeWit is exploring a campaign…
