[T]o hear Corker tell it, when he speaks out, his comments don't come as a surprise to the president or White House staff.

Days earlier, Corker had spoken to Trump over the phone about the firing of FBI director James Comey -- an incident the Tennessee Republican publicly said would "raise questions." And in a previous late-April private dinner, Corker said he made it clear to Trump that the turmoil in the White House was making it harder for Republicans to move forward with anything in Congress.

"I actually shared many of the same concerns, OK? Respectfully, of course," he said in a wide-ranging interview with BuzzFeed News Wednesday afternoon.

"We've got close relations and talked frankly with people (at the White House) often," he continued, repeating two words for emphasis: "Frankly. Often."

"If you look at what I said, the entire statement -- not just the 'downward spiral' portion -- all of it, I don't know, would 90% of the Senate agree with it? I think so."

But his Republican colleagues weren't as blunt, or as public as Corker was.

"Yeah, and Micah maybe didn't want me to publicly say it," he said looking in direction of his press secretary with a laugh. "But it's just kind of who I am. I wasn't saying something publicly that I hadn't already said privately. And I didn't say it actually to be destructive. I said it to be constructive. And I think there were probably people over at the White House who were cheering."

Corker immediately rephrased: "I don't think that. I know that."