House GOP leader urged Trump to hold off on latest ObamaCare assault

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) recently told President Trump he didn’t agree with the administration’s effort to have the Affordable Care Act deemed invalid in federal court, according to a source familiar with the conversation.

McCarthy discussed with fellow GOP leaders how he voiced his disapproval to the president, the source said.

{mosads}The California Republican, one of Trump’s closest allies in the House, would not confirm the contents of the conversation.

“I talk to the president all the time and I always keep my conversations private,” he told reporters, adding that GOP lawmakers are working to construct a health care bill.

Axios and The Washington Post reported on McCarthy’s conversation with Trump earlier on Wednesday.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Monday unexpectedly announced that it is siding with a district court ruling that found the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional. The move was seen as an escalation of the administration’s legal battle against the 2010 health care law.

McCarthy deflected a question about the ObamaCare case at his leadership press conference earlier in the week, telling reporters to call his office.

Some Republicans have questioned aspects of the administration’s decision.

A senior GOP aide told The Hill that “it’s a political and timing concern, not a legal one.”

House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) said Democrats will ultimately be responsible if the courts decide to strike down former President Obama’s landmark legislation.

“They passed a bill that they knew was flawed. And so if the courts throw it out, OK, that’s because Democrats wrote a flawed law. The bottom line is ObamaCare is failing people because costs are going up dramatically,” he told The Hill.

“Ultimately, the courts are going to decide whether or not it’s constitutional — that’s not our call. But if it is, then Nancy Pelosi ought to apologize to the American people for rushing through a bill that wasn’t drafted properly and has failed millions of families across this country,” he said.

Updated at 6:11 p.m.