‘Sometimes he acts as if Congress is merely an appendage’

Sen. Bill Cassidy appeared to question President Donald Trump’s view of Congress, saying in an interview that he wasn’t sure Trump understood that Congress was “a separate body, separate from the presidency.”

“Sometimes Congress acts like it’s just an add-on, and frankly sometimes Congress acts like it’s an add-on,” the Louisiana Republican said in a pre-recorded interview with CBS’ “Face the Nation” that aired Sunday.

In the latest criticism of the public clash between the two leaders, Cassidy told host Margaret Brennan that if she were president, she would focus on affordability, including healthcare and food costs.

“If I were president, I would focus on the people they have, my people, our people, us at the kitchen table. How do you make their lives better? And I think the president needs to focus on that, too,” Cassidy said.

The relationship between Cassidy and Trump has been on the rocks for some time. Cassidy was one of a handful of Republican leaders who voted to convict Trump for his role in the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021.

Trump and Cassidy recently clashed meeting behind closed doors At that meeting, which also included GOP senators, Cassidy admitted that he had raised his voice to “match” the president’s voice in a debate about the Iran war.

Cassidy said at the time: “The President said something negative about me. I took that as an attempt to bully me by asking a question that I think the American people need to know, and I will not be bullied.”

On Sunday, Cassidy described the meeting to Brennan, adding that some of his frustration with the president stemmed from the lack of answers given to senators.

“If you’re not telling me the answers, I’m going to push for those answers. So when the president is chastising the four people who voted for the War Powers Act, frankly, I’m not there to be chastised,” he said.

Cassidy said he raised his hand during the meeting and asked Trump whether some Republican senators had actually asked for a reason behind why they were voting for a resolution designed to curb the president’s authority to wage war against Iran. Trump said he was, according to Cassidy.

“I stood up and said, ‘This is why,’ and I listed the goals I didn’t see being achieved and how the end point of the war was getting longer and longer,” Cassidy said. he said. “He started talking over me. Unfortunately, I raised my voice to match his, and that’s how we talked to each other, or shall we say, not to each other, but to each other.”

Cassidy admitted he shouldn’t have lost his temper, but added that Trump shouldn’t have either.

“I actually needed to know. I need to know how to serve my people, my state and my country. Apparently, I got a briefing afterward. In a way, I actually fulfilled the mission of what I was supposed to do,” Cassidy said.

After receiving a private briefing from Vice President J.D. Vance and special envoy Steve Witkoff, Cassidy later changed his vote on a resolution against Iran.

“They said the negotiations right now are sensitive and could collapse if not handled properly. I can accept that,” Cassidy said.

“That’s why they told me not to be forthcoming. I can accept that, but my goal was to get information, to get the truth to make a decision for the benefit of my country, and that satisfied me.”

Still, Cassidy’s stance against Trump cost him dearly: After serving more than a decade in the Senate, Cassidy lost his campaign He is up for re-nomination after Trump endorsed him. Representative Julia Letlow Louisiana Republican to run for Senate this autumn.