On Tuesday's edition of CNN's "OutFront," White House correspondent Manu Raju discussed Senate Republicans' unwillingness to advance legislation to close the background check loophole used by the Odessa gunman — and how, just like during the federal government shutdown in January, President Donald Trump's erratic behavior has paralyzed the GOP.
"Expanding background checks, which would close this crucial loophole, has been sitting on [Senate Majority Leader Mitch] McConnell's desk for months. He's not brought it for a vote," said host Erin Burnett. "Because he doesn't know where the president stands, is that fair?"
"Yeah, the concern for the Senate Majority Leader right now is putting a bill on the Senate floor that would put his Republican senators in a difficult spot, but they are asking essentially for the president to give political cover to back legislation that controversial and get backlash from the base to move forward," said Raju. "The president says he would ultimately sign off on that, but because he's been all over the map, that has made it very difficult for Republicans in the Senate to decide exactly how to move forward."
"They have been in this position before, Erin, right before the government shutdown, the longest in history, that occurred this year," said Raju. "They thought the president was going to sign legislation to keep the government open. He backed away, and the Republicans were in a difficult spot. In this situation, they don't want the same thing to happen, which is why they are asking for clarity, something the White House has yet to give the Republican senators."
Watch below:
