Corker Tries to Undermine Trump Again, Says President is Damaging Relationships With Friends

U.S. Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) is criticizing President Donald Trump once again, media outlets report.

Fox News’ Congressionis al reporter Chad Pergram tweeted Tuesday, “Senate Foreign Relations Cmte chair Corker on Trump: I think there is no questions that we are damaging relationships with very close friends..it’s unnecessary..I don’t understand why we would go out an purposefully create negative discourse when it’s not necessary.”

Senate Foreign Relations Cmte chair Corker on Trump: I think there is no questions that we are damaging relationships with very close friends..it’s unnecessary..I don’t understand why we would go out an purposefully create negative discourse when it’s not necessary.

— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) June 12, 2018

Corker also unloaded on his fellow Republicans for supposedly cowering from Trump, Roll Call reported.

The retiring Tennessee senator was angered that his amendment to the defense authorization measure that would reclaim congressional prerogatives on trade and tariffs would not be up for a vote, Roll Call said. He mocked senators for not standing up to Trump, including the No. 2 Republican, Majority Whip John Cornyn.

“Gosh, almighty, I heard the senator from Texas, the senior senator from Texas saying the other day, well, gosh, we might upset the president. We might upset the president of the United States before the midterms. So gosh, we can’t vote on the Corker amendment because we’re taking, rightly so, the responsibilities that we have to deal with tariffs and revenues. We can’t do that because we’d be upsetting the president, the president of the United States. I can’t believe it,” Corker said.

Corker criticized President Trump for overstepping his authority by imposing tariffs on aluminum and steel by simply claiming they were a national security interest.

Corker introduced his bill to limit the president’s powers last week, The Washington Post reported. The bill would require Congress to approve tariffs that claim national security. Nine Democrats and Republicans are co-sponsors. The newspaper called it a “forceful congressional response to date to Trump’s protectionist trade agenda.”