McConnell: Trump and I Are Speaking

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says he and President Trump are in regular contact about "shared goals" and working together to advance them. He says people suggesting otherwise are "clearly not part of the conversation." McConnell says priorities include tax overhaul, spending, and other bills. The Kentucky Republican released the statement Wednesday during a rocky period between the two leaders, the AP reports. Trump has criticized McConnell for the Senate's rejection of the GOP push to repeal President Obama's health law. He suggested McConnell might need to step aside as leader if he can't push top bills through the chamber.

People familiar with McConnell's thinking say he's privately expressed dismay over Trump's failure to clearly criticize Nazis after the violence in Charlottesville and for the president's criticism of fellow Republicans. (There are reports McConnell and Trump aren't speaking.)