Sen. Bob Corker says he's still weighing his future amid reports he might retire

WASHINGTON — Sen. Bob Corker said Monday he’s still weighing his political future amid reports of his possible retirement plans and will make a decision “at the appropriate time.”

“I think everyone in the Volunteer State knows, as they did in 2012, that running for re-election has never been an automatic for me,” the Tennessee Republican said in a statement.

Corker’s office issued the statement amid reports that he is considering retiring next year and that former White House strategist Steve Bannon, who has returned to his former role at Breitbart News, is organizing primary challengers against establishment Republicans.

Politico, citing anonymous sources, reported Sunday that Bannon has set his sights on Corker and three other Republican senators – Dean Heller of Nevada, Jeff Flake of Arizona and Roger Wicker of Mississippi.

Bannon has begun holding private meetings with possible challengers and is coordinating with conservative mega-donor Robert Mercer, who is prepared to pour millions of dollars into attacks on GOP incumbents, Politico reported.

Read more:

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Corker, who is in his second Senate term, was considered as a possible running mate for President Trump but eventually withdrew from consideration. He also was on the short list to become Trump’s secretary of State, but that job went to Rex Tillerson.

Corker often advises Trump on foreign affairs, but he and the president got into a public spat last month when the senator told reporters that Trump had not shown the competence needed to lead the nation.

The White House called Corker’s comments “ridiculous,” and Trump fired back on Twitter, saying the senator’s statement was strange “considering that he is constantly asking me whether or not he should run again in ’18. Tennessee not happy!”

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