If becoming a populist Republican means slinging arrows at GOP leadership, U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley is staying the course.
In remarks to national news media earlier this month, Hawley has called the GOP leadership in the Senate a “.”
Hawley’s remarks came after the Senate defeated a bipartisan bill to addressed the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border, as well as other foreign-aid issues involving Israel, Taiwan and Ukraine.
Hawley was one of the Republicans who voted against the bill, arguing it did not do enough to secure the border and made too many concessions to Democrats.
Hawley dripped more than a dollop of sarcasm on GOP elders in the Senate, saying to Punchbowl News:
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“I think Republican leadership has shown they’re a well-oiled machine. They just do great. Couldn’t be improved upon. Absolutely have it all together. Very impressive,”
To make sure his sarcasm was not lost, he concluded with, “No, it’s a total embarrassment.”
Hawley went on to lay the blame for failure of the bill, written by U.S. Sen. James Lankford, R-Oklahoma, squarely on the doorstep of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Commenting to Politico, Hawley said, “It’s not James Lankford’s fault. It’s Mitch McConnell’s fault.”
Add to that, several other GOP senators have called for replacing McConnell as their party’s boss in the Senate.
McConnell, however, is shrugging off the angst and noted in an article in The Hill that his GOP critics tried and failed, to replace him in 2022.
“They had their shot,” he said.