WASHINGTON — Republican leaders brushed off concerns that Tuesday night’s elections were an indictment of their shutdown strategy despite President Donald Trump telling senators he believes the government’s closure directly caused the party’s losses.

During a breakfast meeting with Senate Republicans on Wednesday, Trump expressed concerns that the government shutdown “was a big factor” for elections in Virginia, New Jersey and New York City, where Democrats notched big wins over their GOP opponents. Trump railed against the government’s closure, senators present at the meeting told the Deseret News, despite acknowledging Republicans were unlikely to win the races anyway.

“I thought we’d have a discussion after the press leaves about what last night represented and what we should do abo

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