‘US House leader suggested Trump on Putin payroll’
WASHINGTON (Reuters) — A leading Republican in the US Congress in June 2016 made a quip during a private meeting of fellow lawmakers that Russian President Vladimir Putin could be making payments to Donald Trump, the
Washington Post reported on Wednesday.
House of Representatives Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy made the assertion, the newspaper reported, saying the conversation was recorded last June, during the primary election season when Trump was seeking to become the Republican Party’s presidential nominee. According to the Washington Post report, House Speaker Paul Ryan, a fellow Republican, interrupted McCarthy and urged Republicans present to keep McCarthy’s remarks secret.
The newspaper report quoted McCarthy saying, “There’s two people I think Putin pays: Rohrabacher tive Dana Rohrabacher on Wednesday told reporters that McCarthy’s quip was a joke.
“The trouble is, when you ever try to be funny, it is really taken seriously by a third party, and that’s what’s happened here,” he said.
Aides to Ryan and McCarthy were not immediately available for comment.
Reuters could not confirm authenticity or gauge whether McCarthy was joking.