Days after he was acquitted in the impeachment trial, former President Donald Trump lashed out at Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell and his wife Elaine Chao. An irked Trump called the Republican a "dour, sullen, and unsmiling political hack," in a lengthy statement issued on Tuesday.
McConnell, despite his vote to acquit Trump, later went on to blame Trump for provoking the attackers. "There is no question, none, that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day. A mob was assaulting the Capitol in his name. These criminals were carrying his banners, hanging his flags and screaming their loyalty to him," McConnell had said on the Senate floor.
Trump Says Republicans Staying With McConnell Will Never Win
Launching a scathing attack on the Senate Minority Leader, Trump said: "Mitch is a dour, sullen, and unsmiling political hack and if Republican Senators are going to stay with him, they will not win again."
According to BBC, in a statement released on Tuesday Trump said that the Republican Party can never again be respected or strong with political 'leaders' like Senator Mitch McConnell at its helm.
"He will never do what needs to be done, or what is right for our Country. Where necessary and appropriate, I will back primary rivals who espouse Making America Great Again and our policy of America First. We want brilliant, strong, thoughtful, and compassionate leadership," Trump said.
CNBC reported that in the statement Trump also accused McConnell of having "no credibility on China because of his family's substantial Chinese business holdings." The statement comes in reference to McConnell's wife, Elaine Chao, who immigrated to the U.S. from Taiwan.
Chao, who served as Trump's Transportation secretary, quit a day after the Capitol attack. "Yesterday, our country experienced a traumatic and entirely avoidable event as supporters of the President stormed the Capitol building following a rally he addressed. As I'm sure is the case with many of you, it has deeply troubled me in a way that I simply cannot set aside," she had said in a statement issued on Twitter.
Trump Mocked McConnell's Chin in Original Draft
The former President also claimed that McConnell "begged" for his endorsement in his own Senate race, leading to win. Politico reported that according to insiders Trump was further irked by the Op-ed piece penned by McConell for Wall Street Journal in which he defended his decision.
The outlet reported that according to a person familiar with the situation, Trump dictated the Tuesday statement himself and the original version was toned down in the final draft released on Tuesday. It was also found that Jason Miller, a top Trump adviser, was the one who took the initiative of writing the final version of the statement, the person told the outlet.
The source further revealed to the outlet that Trump, in the original draft, had mocked McConnell for having multiple chins, which was later removed.
"There was also a lot of repetitive stuff and definitely something about him having too many chins but not enough smarts," the source said. Trump's adviser Jason Miller denied "ever considering an attack on McConnell's appearance."
