GOP senator praises McConnell for 'sitting at Trump’s right hand' after refusing to say his name 'for years'

After Donald Trump visited Capitol Hill for the first time since 2021 for a meeting with Senate Republicans Thursday, the former president's remarks were met with a standing ovation from GOP lawmakers in the room.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who was among the group of right-wing leaders, shared with reporters that he thought the meeting was "really positive," according to Politico.

The Senate leader also met privately with the MAGA hopeful, which Politico notes, ended "their years-long cold war."

READ MORE: McConnell’s relationship with Trump is 'as icy as ever' — despite endorsement

Following the January 6 attack on the US Capitol in 2021, McConnell slammed Trump for his involvement.

US Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) confirmed the Kentucky leader praised Trump, after not being able to even speak the former president's name for a long time.

"Senator McConnell has refused to say Trump's name for years," Hawley told Fox News' Laura Ingraham. "There he was sitting at Trump's right hand today. Sitting right there on his right at the table. And wanting to be there as Trump walked into the room."

On the other hand, former US Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) took to social media to slam the Senate leader, writing, "Mitch McConnell knows Trump provoked the violent attack on our Capitol and then 'watched television happily' as his mob brutally beat police officers and hunted the Vice President. He knows Trump refused for hours to tell his mob to leave and 'even then with police officers bleeding…he kept repeating his election lies and praising the criminals.'"

READ MORE: McConnell says GOP shouldn’t 'get too excited' about chances of winning Senate

Cheney added, "He knows Trump committed a 'disgraceful dereliction of duty' and is a danger to our Republic. Trump and his collaborators will be defeated, and history will remember the shame of people like @LeaderMcConnell who enabled them."

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