Former White House communications aide Cliff Sims says he's one of the vipers in his new memoir, Team of Vipers, about his 500 days in President Trump's West Wing, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is a snake. At least that was Trump's assessment of McConnell after their first legislative strategy session in February 2017, Sims recounts, according to an excerpt in Politico. The topic of discussion was repealing ObamaCare, and Trump's interest was piqued by "an offhand comment" from McConnell about "doing this without any Democratic votes," Sims writes.

Trump suggested the bill might get support from Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), "a friend of mine" from a state he'd just won by 42 points. "Absolutely not," McConnell responded. Manchin will vote no, and "we're going to do everything in our power to beat him when he comes up for re-election in 2018." Trump asked: "Do we have to go after him like that?" And McConnell said yes, "we're going to crush him like a grape."

On Thursday, Manchin — who did vote against the GOP's failed ObamaCare-repeal bill, along with three Republicans, and won re-election in 2018 — made a joke of McConnell's reported threat.

I heard @senatemajldr wanted some #WV crushed grapes, so I dropped some off at his office today. pic.twitter.com/jvp2IDfOwl — Senator Joe Manchin (@Sen_JoeManchin) January 31, 2019

McConnell's statement had a different effect in the Roosevelt Room, Sims writes:

There was a brief silence — maybe a half second — when the atmosphere in the room felt like the scene in Goodfellas when no one can tell how Joe Pesci is going to react to Ray Liotta calling him "funny." Would he freak out? Would he laugh it off? Finally Trump broke the tension. "This guy's mean as a snake!" he said, pointing at McConnell and looking around the room. The entire group burst out laughing. "I like it, though, Mitch." [Team of Vipers, via Politico]

Read the rest of the excerpt at Politico. Peter Weber