Majority Leader McCarthy in 2016: ‘I think Putin pays Trump’

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) accused President Trump of being paid by Russian President Vladimir Putin back in 2016, according to a report resurfacing a conversation between McCarthy and other Republicans.

The Washington Post reported Wednesday that McCarthy made the stunning remarks in a private conversation on Capitol Hill.

“There’s two people I think Putin pays: [California Republican Dana] Rohrabacher and Trump,” McCarthy said, according to the report.

{mosads}The Post reports that Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) stopped the conversation immediately and made the members present swear to secrecy. 

“No leaks,” Ryan said. “This is how we know we’re a real family here.”

After the Post’s report published, Ryan counselor Brendan Buck hit back on Twitter, calling the report “dumb.”

Yes, this is dumb. He was just kidding. No one took it seriously. https://t.co/CguAAzid66

— Brendan Buck (@BrendanBuck) May 17, 2017

Goodness, I don’t lie. Period. What was presented to me originally was far different than what they ultimately presented: an obvious joke.

— Brendan Buck (@BrendanBuck) May 17, 2017

The Post’s report comes as Republicans in Congress are under increased pressure after a string of bombshell reports involving Trump, including that Trump shared classified information with top Russian officials during an Oval Office meeting last week.