Trump to donors: I won’t oust McConnell, Ryan

Donald Trump has reassured donors he will cooperate with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) if he is elected president, according to a new report.

Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, told two coal industry executives who are raising funds for the billionaire’s campaign that he wants the two Republicans in their congressional leadership roles, Bloomberg reported.

{mosads}“That is a big priority for Joe and I — and from talking directly to Donald Trump I know for a fact it is a big deal for him,” Kelly Knight Craft said of her and her husband, Joe Craft. “He made that very clear.

“When someone gives us a check, we’re looking at that as they’re investing not only in that candidate — investing in Paul Ryan or investing in Mitch McConnell or investing in Donald Trump — they’re investing in us, and I take that as a responsibility. I don’t take that lightly. We feel responsible to them.”

Joe Craft is the chairman and CEO of Alliance Resource Partners LP, a coal producer that has major operations in Kentucky and Illinois. Bloomberg on Wednesday reported that Joe Craft has donated at least $4.6 million to various political groups since 2007. According to fundraising records, the majority of the coal executive’s contributions have benefited Republicans. 

Trump earned the number of delegates necessary to secure the GOP’s presidential nomination last week, edging past the 1,237 threshold.

Ryan has repeatedly insisted he is not ready to formally endorse the businessman. McConnell, meanwhile, has voiced support for Trump’s bid.