'Republican-on-Republican violence' breaks out in wake of humiliating Trumpcare collapse

The Senate's Trumpcare bill finally went down in flames on Monday evening, and the recriminations have begun.

The Atlantic's Molly Ball reports that the House and the Senate are both pointing fingers at one another over the latest major setback in the party's effort to repeal and replace Obamacare, and one GOP staffer tells the reporter that the feud amounts to "Republican-on-Republican violence."

One Republican congressman told Ball that there was increasing frustration that the party couldn't get any major piece of legislation passed, despite the fact that it controls all the major levers of power in Washington.

"We’re in charge, right?" the Republican asked rhetorically. "We have the House, the Senate, and the White House. Everyone’s still committed to making progress on big issues, but the more time goes by, the more difficult that becomes. And then the blame game starts."

While the Senate is taking heat for the failure of the Obamacare repeal bill, the House is shouldering blame for a delay in bringing up a sanctions bill against Russia and Iran that passed the Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support.

And then there's the White House, where some Republicans say President Donald Trump has done absolutely nothing to help sell their health care bill to the American public.

"We’re a big-tent party, so of course there are divisions," the Republican congressman told Ball. "But the only thing that could unite the clans is consistent and engaged leadership from the president. And it’s fair to say we’ve gotten mixed signals."

Nonetheless, few Republicans are willing to come out publicly to attack the president's leadership -- as one GOP staffer told Ball, "it’s just easier to attack people without 13 million Twitter followers."