Republicans in Congress say White House left them in the dark on Trump controversies

White House officials offered virtually no support or guidance for Republicans on Capitol Hill about how they should respond to the deluge of controversies surrounding President Trump this week, leaving even those who have wanted to defend the president to do so on their own.

After the Justice Department named a special counsel on Wednesday to oversee an investigation into allegations of collusion between Russians and the Trump campaign, the tense mood among Republicans relaxed considerably. But GOP lawmakers and aides say they still got silence from the White House over how to approach the latest twist.

"There's been no talking points that have been put out by the White House at all," Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., told the Washington Examiner on Thursday. "The White House has not instructed, to my knowledge, any member of Congress what to say, but just to do what we've all campaigned on, and that's to fulfill our promise."

Another Republican House member said he had received "nothing" from the White House in the way of messaging guidance.

And conversations with a dozen GOP congressional aides in both the House and Senate on Thursday revealed the sense of frustration that developed after members spent more than a week attempting to navigate the most recent string of leaks and controversies to plague the White House — all without the help of the president's team.