GOP rep: Trump’s ‘Morning Joe’ attacks could be to ‘distract’ from healthcare

Rep. Tom Reed (R-N.Y.) on Thursday said President Trump’s attacks on the co-hosts of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” might have been meant to distract from the ongoing healthcare debate.

During an interview on CNN’s “New Day” on Thursday, Reed was asked whether he thinks Trump used appropriate language in his tweets going after the “Morning Joe” co-hosts.

Reed said he doesn’t know the context, but expressed concern about the type of language Trump used.

{mosads}”Maybe the intent is to distract from the healthcare debate,” Reed said.

“But I want to be part of the debate that’s impacting the American people. When it comes to healthcare, tax reform, that’s where our conversation should be and that’s where I try to lend my voice each and every day.”

Trump bashed “Morning Joe” co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski in early-morning tweets, claiming that Brzezinski was “bleeding badly from a face-lift” when he saw her late last year at his Florida resort.

“I heard poorly rated Morning Joe speaks badly of me (don’t watch anymore). Then how come low I.Q. Crazy Mika, along with Psycho Joe, came to Mar-a-Lago 3 nights in a row around New Year’s Eve, and insisted on joining me. She was bleeding badly from a face-lift. I said no!” Trump tweeted.

Trump’s latest tweets come after launching a slew of attacks on various media outlets this week.

They also come as the GOP scrambles to regroup, after Senate leadership announced earlier this week its decision to delay a vote on a bill to repeal and replace ObamaCare after it became clear the measure lacked the votes for passage.

Senate Republicans are struggling to find a path forward for their ObamaCare repeal bill, with infighting between moderates and conservatives stalling progress.

GOP leaders say they want to have an agreement on changes to the legislation by Friday.