Trump’s chief of staff just threw Trump Jr. under the bus in defense of McConnell’s ‘case closed’ claim

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr is feeling the wrath of fellow Republicans for subpoenaing Donald Trump Jr. in connection with the committee’s probe of Russian interference in the 2016 election. But Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney isn’t jumping through hoops to defend Trump Jr.

Discussing special counsel Robert Mueller’s final report for the Russia investigation on the Senate floor, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell recently declared, “case closed.” And Mulvaney, in an interview with CBS News, asserted that McConnell’s comment only applied to the president — not the president’s son. Mulvaney told CBS News that President Donald J. Trump and Donald Trump Jr. are “two different people. They do share the same name, and certainly, Don Jr. is the president’s son. But I think what Mr. McConnell was speaking to was that the president has been exonerated.”

Mulvaney went on to say, “There was no reason that McConnell would go to the floor to talk about Don Jr. That’s just not going to happen. He was talking about the president.”

The Republicans who have been attacking Burr for the subpoena of Donald Trump Jr. range from House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to Sen. Rand Paul, who tweeted, “apparently, the Republican chair of the Senate Intel Committee didn’t get the memo from the Majority Leader that this case was closed.” McCarthy, meanwhile, tweeted that Republicans should “focus on ISSUES, not investigations.” And Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin of New York State tweeted on Wednesday night that it was “weak and ridiculous” for the Senate Intelligence Committee to perpetuate the Russia Collusion Delusion by continuing to harass @DonaldJTrumpJr. They should NOT be taking orders from unhinged resistance Dems.”