“This is not a universal statement that he’s making,” Mr. Short said. “He’s making it about an individual member of Congress.”Neither the White House press secretary, Stephanie Grisham, nor one of Mr. Trump’s most visible television defenders, Kellyanne Conway, weighed in on Monday. And other White House officials acknowledged privately that Mr. Trump’s statements were difficult to defend. After that incident, Mr. Cohn even drafted a resignation letter, though he ultimately did not submit it to Mr. Trump. Administration veterans said they had long ago become immune to thinking anything Mr. Trump said would stick to him for more than one news cycle.

Source: New York Times July 15, 2019 23:20 UTC