Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), one of the three votes that sank Senate Republicans’ latest attempt to repeal Obamacare, said on Sunday that she got most input on the matter from Vice President Mike Pence, not his boss.
“Most of the input I’ve had from the White House has been from the vice president and from the administrator of the Medicare and Medicaid programs,” Collins said on NBC News’ “Meet the Press.”
Collins cited two meetings she attended at the White House, one seated beside President Donald Trump, to discuss health care.
“I do want to make clear that the president invited me to the two meetings,” she said. “That was a few weeks ago.”
Collins said on CNN’s “State of the Union” that Pence approached her on the Senate floor Friday night before the vote and tapped her on the shoulder.
“Boy, are you tough,” Pence told her, according to Collins. She added, “But he softened that by putting his arm around me.”
That’s a very subtle double-troll: Pence who “couldn’t seal the deal” (and fled the chamber to avoid McCain’s moment) and The Donald who had to send a minion. Who failed. Donald will be screaming at Pence by this afternoon.
No, you didn’t ! Now Donald is angry with Dense Pence !
@dr_coyote sorry, we crossed, I had to check my grammar…
“Boy, are you tough,” Pence told her, according to Collins. She added, “But he softened that by putting his arm around me.”
But what would mother say?
Indeed. We may luck out and Trump starts tweeting about his beleaguered VP.
Don’t they usually count votes before putting a major bill on the floor? I think that’s the job of the Whip in the House. Is there not a similar person in the Senate?
Obviously McConnell got completely blindsided by McCain. Did nobody think to ask him which way he’d vote after that blistering speech a couple days prior?