WASHINGTON, DC — In a sweeping and deeply critical interview with The New York Times late Sunday, Tennessee Republican Sen. Bob Corker — once one of President Trump's close political allies — warned that the leader of his party could take the country into World War III. Corker's remarks built on an earlier Twitter spat with the president, spurred by the senator's multiple comments in recent weeks showing a lack of faith in Trump's leadership.

But his comments in the Times interview Sunday were the most pointed yet. He explicitly accused Trump of undermining diplomatic efforts, said the president was lying about their conversations and compared him unfavorably to members of the Cabinet, who Corker called "the good guys." Corker also said that most GOP senators share his view of the president as unstable, even if they won't say it publicly.

"As long as there are people like that around him who are able to talk him down when he gets spun up, you know, calm him down and continue to work with him before a decision gets made, I think we'll be fine," Corker said. (For more information on this and other political stories, subscribe to the White House Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)