Calling Sen. Jeff Flake’s (R-AZ) decision to retire — and publicly blast President Trump — a “personal decision,” Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) claimed on Wednesday that there’s not “some crisis in the Republican party.”
His remarks come after two Senate Republicans were highly and publicly critical of President Donald Trump on Tuesday, with Flake saying he couldn’t run for reelection because it would mean he’d had to “pretend” like Trump’s behavior is normal.
Despite the unprecedented move for a senator to lash out on the sitting President of his party from the Senate floor, Kennedy said he doesn’t think the remarks are indicative of a larger problem.
“I’m not going to say Jeff’s right or wrong. You know, those are his feelings. And he’s entitled to express them. But I don’t think there’s some crisis in the Republican party,” Kennedy told CNN Wednesday. “There’s certainly no crisis in the conference among senators, who happen to be Republican. We are focused on tax reform and we’re going to get it done, hopefully, by Thanksgiving.”
Kennedy said if there’s any issue within his party, it’s the fact that Congress hasn’t been able to accomplish many of its goals, like Obamacare repeal.
“I think what Americans want right now are some results. I think that’s the biggest problem with my part, at least in the Senate on Capitol Hill,” he said. “We’ve been here nine months and a lot of people are frustrated, including me, that we haven’t done more.”
Kennedy said he tries to not comment on Trump’s tweets and doesn’t like to get involved in the “drama” of political “namecalling.”
“The things that kids do in a junior high cafeteria, it makes for interesting television, but I don’t think that’s what Americans are focused on. It doesn’t bother me. I believe in the First Amendment,” he said. “Just because some people like drama doesn’t mean I have to attend the performance.”
