RNC chairwoman tells a skeptical Alisyn Camerota that Trump was just 'trying to get to know' McCabe when he asked about his 2016 vote


In an Oval Office meeting last May, President Trump asked Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe, then the acting director, whom he voted for in the 2016 election, The Washington Post reported Tuesday, citing several current and former U.S. officials. McCabe said he did not vote, and Trump said he wasn't a fan of McCabe's wife, a one-time Democratic candidate for Virginia state Senate, the Post recounts. CNN's Alisyn Camerota asked Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel whether Trump was out of bounds, and she said no.
"Yeah, I know this is a big story, I think it's just a conversation," McDaniel said. Camerota asked if it was an inappropriate question. "I don't know," McDaniel said. "I ask people who they vote for sometimes, I think it's just trying to get to know somebody. I don't think the intentions are as bad as are being put out." Trump is "certainly not going around to every single FBI agent and saying, 'Did you vote for me?'" she added. "This is a president who's just getting to know people, and that's part of those conversations." Camerota did not look like she was buying it.
Trump actually has been publicly hammering the FBI about personal text messages between an FBI agent and an FBI attorney that some of his supporters in and outside of Congress suggest shows political bias. He has also been urging Attorney General Jeff Sessions to push FBI Director Christopher Wray to fire McCabe, prompting Wray to threaten to resign, Axios reports. In any case, if you ever find yourself at a party with McDaniel, be prepared for some awkward icebreakers.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
June 22 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include a SpaceX flight, Bibi pulling Donald Trump toward war, and an ICE agent looking like a bank robber
-
5 bunker-busting cartoons about the Israel-Iran war
Cartoons Political cartoonists take on Iran waiting for Pete Hegseth to leak war plans and Donald Trump's wish for a Nobel prize
-
Malaysia's delicious food and glorious beaches
The Week Recommends From 'colourful' George Town to the 'jungled interior' of Langkawi, Malaysia is incredibly diverse
-
Trump's LA deployment in limbo after court rulings
Speed Read Judge Breyer ruled that Trump's National Guard deployment to Los Angeles was an 'illegal' overreach. But a federal appellate court halted the ruling.
-
Marines, National Guard in LA can detain Americans
speed read The troops have been authorized to detain anyone who interferes with immigration raids
-
Trump vows 'very big force' against parade protesters
Speed Read The parade, which will shut down much of the capital, will celebrate the US Army's 250th anniversary and Trump's 79th birthday
-
Smithsonian asserts its autonomy from Trump
speed read The DC institution defied Trump's firing of National Portrait Gallery Director Kim Sajet
-
Trump sends Marines to LA, backs Newsom arrest
speed read California Gov. Gavin Newsom is filing lawsuits in response to Trump's escalation of the federal response to ICE protests
-
Trump foists National Guard on unwilling California
speed read Protests erupted over ICE immigration raids in LA county
-
Supreme Court lowers bar in discrimination cases
speed read The court ruled in favor of a white woman who claimed she lost two deserved promotions to gay employees
-
Trump-Musk relationship implodes in taunts, threats
speed read Musk said Trump's multitrillion bill would cause a recession and accused the president of involvement with Jeffrey Epstein