Mitt Romney comes unglued, blames Trump after McConnell signals death of bipartisan border bill: 'Really appalling'

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) lashed out at Donald Trump on Thursday over allegations the former president is trying to stop the Senate from reaching an agreement on a new bill that would purportedly help the border crisis.

Lawmakers were nearing a bipartisan agreement on national security — which would presumably have addressed the border crisis, Israel, and Ukraine — when, according to Punchbowl News, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R) informed Republican senators on Wednesday that "the politics on this have changed."

McConnell, according to multiple reports, was referring to Trump's vehement opposition to the emerging deal.

In the meeting, McConnell called Trump the Republican "nominee" and said, "We don't want to do anything to undermine him."

The development, according to Capitol Hill reporter Jake Sherman, means "McConnell has now shifted blame on the border to Trump. And Democrats get a very useful talking point — Republicans walked away from a bipartisan deal that could've helped stem the crisis at the border."

On Thursday, Romney blasted Trump for, in his eyes, trying to exploit the border crisis for his political benefit.

"I think the border is a very important issue for Donald Trump. And the fact that he would communicate to Republican senators and congresspeople that he doesn’t want us to solve the border problem because he wants to blame Biden for it is really appalling," Romney said.

"But the reality is that we have a crisis at the border," he continued. "The American people are suffering as a result of what’s happening at the border. And someone running for president ought to try and get the the problem solved, as opposed to saying, 'Hey, save that problem. Don’t solve it. Let me take credit for solving it later.'"

Other Republicans, including Sens. Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), expressed muted concerns about the politics and urged lawmakers to press forward to a solution.

It is important to remember, though, that President Joe Biden already possess authority to handle the border crisis because Congress has passed laws giving the executive branch immigration enforcement authority.

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