Cantor told Washingtonian magazine, “To give the impression that if Republicans were in control of the House and the Senate, that we could do that when Obama was still in office ... I never believed it.”

Cantor continued, “We sort of all got what was going on, that there was this disconnect in terms of communication, because no one wanted to take the time out in the general public to even think about ‘Wait a minute — that can’t happen.’”

But ever mindful of Republican voters, who in the Henrico County-anchored 7th District rejected him after seven terms for Brat in a foreshadowing of the Trump populist wave, Cantor said, “If you’ve got that anger working for you, you’re gonna let it be.”

The interview — or is it a mea culpa? — is another example of the selective, often distant manner in which Cantor, as a politician and, now, as an investment banker, engages his constituents. His occasional back-home meetings with voters tended to be invitation-only affairs.

For Cantor, who did not respond to requests by telephone and email for an interview with The Richmond Times-Dispatch, his hometown newspaper, it’s not just a question of how much leg he shows but to whom he shows it.

That’s another reason why the interview with Washingtonian is intriguing.