Republicans don't know who to talk to at White House
BY SCOTT WONG - 08/28/17 06:00 AM EDT
With Reince Priebus and Steve Bannon both out, Republicans on Capitol Hill are asking who they can talk to at the White House ahead of a crucial, difficult stretch in the legislative calendar.
The summer departures of Trump’s first chief of staff and chief strategist have created something of a communications vacuum along Pennsylvania Avenue since Priebus and Bannon did the “bulk of the outreach” on Capitol Hill, GOP sources said.
Priebus’s replacement, new Chief of Staff John Kelly, the former Homeland Security secretary and retired Marine general, is respected on both sides of the aisle but doesn’t have long-standing relationships on the Hill.
Several GOP lawmakers told The Hill they don’t personally know Kelly, and there are questions on the right about whether he’ll be a champion for conservative causes as he tries to restore stability to a White House mired in turmoil. “There is great respect for John Kelly but no real belief that anyone else can effectively carry out the Trump agenda until Kelly replaces Bannon with a conservative leader,” one House GOP lawmaker told The Hill.
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http://thehill.com/homenews/house/348000-republicans-dont-know-who-to-talk-to-at-white-house
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