On any other day, this story would be dominating the political world: House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California -- the No. 2 Republican in the House -- last year quipped to colleagues: "There's two people I think Putin pays: Rohrabacher and Trump." (Rohrabacher is Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, another California Republican who has advocated closer ties with Russia.)
The Washington Post's Adam Entous broke the story -- and got hold of a recording. He writes: "House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) immediately interjected, stopping the conversation from further exploring McCarthy's assertion, and swore the Republicans present to secrecy. ... Some of the lawmakers laughed at McCarthy's comment. Then McCarthy quickly added: 'Swear to God.' Ryan instructed his Republican lieutenants to keep the conversation private, saying: 'No leaks. ... This is how we know we're a real family here.'"
McCarthy's defense tonight: "It was a bad attempt at a joke." That's what he told reporters on Capitol Hill tonight. "That's all there is to it," McCarthy added. "No one believes it to be true."
The part that has Washington buzzing: Entous writes: "When initially asked to comment on the exchange, Brendan Buck, a spokesman for Ryan, said: 'That never happened,' and Matt Sparks, a spokesman for McCarthy, said: 'The idea that McCarthy would assert this is absurd and false.' After being told that The Post would cite a recording of the exchange, Buck, speaking for the GOP House leadership, said: 'This entire year-old exchange was clearly an attempt at humor. No one believed the majority leader was seriously asserting that Donald Trump or any of our members were being paid by the Russians. What's more, the speaker and leadership team have repeatedly spoken out against Russia's interference in our election, and the House continues to investigate that activity.'" | |
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