Sen. Lindsey Graham said members of the House Freedom Caucus could be better “teammates” after learning that President Trump declared war on the group of conservative Republican lawmakers.
“Our Freedom Caucus friends are good conservatives, but we will see if we can be better teammates,” Mr. Graham, South Carolina Republican, said on Fox News.
Mr. Trump is upset with the Freedom Caucus over the role it played in derailing the Obamacare replacement plan that he and House Speaker Paul Ryan failed to pass through the House last week.
On Thursday, Mr. Trump ratcheted up his criticism on Twitter.
“The Freedom Caucus will hurt the entire Republican agenda if they don’t get on the team, & fast. We must fight them, & Dems, in 2018!” Mr. Trump said.
Asked about the comments moments later, Mr. Graham said Mr. Trump’s “instincts are right” and urged him to let Obamacare collapse and then reach out to Democrats to hammer out a replacement.
He also praised the approach that Mr. Trump has taken on national security before suggesting the Freedom Caucus could be better teammates.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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