Romney Responds to Niece's Criticism. Here's What He Had to Say About the GOP Chairwoman.

Leah Barkoukis | January 03, 2019 7:30 AM

Sen.-elect Mitt Romney (R-UT) responded Wednesday to the criticism dished out against him by his niece and chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, Ronna Romney McDaniel, after he wrote a blistering op-ed about the president in the Washington Post.

Romney said her remarks were “probably more civil than it might have been across the Thanksgiving dinner table.”

McDaniel called her uncle’s piece “disappointing and unproductive.”

“POTUS is attacked and obstructed by the MSM media and Democrats 24/7. For an incoming Republican freshman senator to attack @realdonaldtrump as their first act feeds into what the Democrats and media want and is disappointing and unproductive,” she tweeted.

POTUS is attacked and obstructed by the MSM media and Democrats 24/7. For an incoming Republican freshman senator to attack @realdonaldtrump as their first act feeds into what the Democrats and media want and is disappointing and unproductive. https://t.co/ArhI7Bi7bo
— Ronna McDaniel (@GOPChairwoman) January 2, 2019

Romney did not seem surprised by her defense of the president, which as Cortney noted, is part of her job.

“She’s the chairwoman of the Republican Party, she has a responsibility. I respect her right to express that viewpoint,” Romney said Wednesday on CNN.

“It’s probably more civil than it might have been across the Thanksgiving dinner table," he added. "We of course have disagreements in our family, but she’s a very loyal Republican, loyal to the president and she’s doing what she thinks is best for him and for the party.”

Romney on his niece — the GOP chairwoman — criticizing him for his op-ed: "I respect her right to express that viewpoint. ... She's a very loyal Republican, loyal to the President and she's doing what she thinks is best for him and for the party" https://t.co/F5NN2Wzxg3 pic.twitter.com/NElZLHXrQM
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) January 2, 2019