On Friday, Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) became the first Republican senator to call for the removal of President Donald Trump for his role in fomenting a violent insurrection, which implies that she could leave the party if he continued to align with the President.
“I want him out. He’s done enough damage already, ”said Murkowski in an interview with Anchorage Daily News, James Brooks. “But I will tell you, if the Republican Party has become nothing more than Trump’s party, I sincerely question whether this is the party for me.”
Murkowski’s comments apparently opened up a possibility for Democrats to tilt what should be a 50-50 split in the Senate Chamber to a seat advantage. However, Murkowski repressed that idea in comments to Alaskan Public Media reporter Liz Ruskin at the end of Friday, when Ruskin asked if she would consider joining the emerging Democratic majority. “No. No. Absolutely, unmistakably not,” she told Ruskin.
Lotta speculation about @lisamurkowski going to the democrat.
I asked: are you thinking of joining the Democratic majority?
Murkowski: “No. No. Absolutely, unmistakably not.”
– Public radio reporter Liz Ruskin-AK (@lruskin) January 9, 2021
The balance of power in the Senate will be divided once the two new Democratic senators from Georgia – Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, both winners of the elections last Tuesday – take office when their election results are certified on January 15. Senate, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will be the tiebreaker vote, giving Democrats control of the chamber.
Murkowski turning into parties would have potentially given Democrats a 51-49 majority, eliminating the need for Harris’ tiebreaker.
While some Republicans, like Senator Ben Sasse, have made more moderate criticisms of Trump – and some have even adhered to calls for his removal – many have shown that they are on his side. After the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, 147 Republican lawmakers voted in favor of Trump’s lie that there were irregularities that put the results of the 2020 presidential election in doubt. And after Twitter permanently banned Trump Friday, many of its most fervent Republican Party supporters, like Sen. Lindsey Graham, were quick to stay with him.
And it seems unlikely that Trump will step down before his inauguration on January 20. Vice President Mike Pence reportedly chose not to remove him using the 25th Amendment, and Trump has not signaled any resignation plans. The Democratic-controlled House of Representatives plans to start the impeachment process as early as Monday. But a memo distributed to Republican senators on Friday presents a delayed timetable for a possible trial. The Chamber approves impeachment articles for the second time.
NEWS -> McConnell sends memo to Republican Party senators outlining how an impeachment trial would work if the House passed. In essence, McConnell explains how an impeachment trial would consume the early days of Biden’s presidency. Memo obtained exclusively by WaPo https://t.co/q2f2Quum1Z pic.twitter.com/SAkVVsqPvb
– Seung Min Kim (@seungminkim) January 9, 2021
In the memo, Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell indicated that the Senate trial could begin on January 21, when Trump is no longer president. He could go ahead independently, but although Democrats control the chamber at that point, it seems unlikely to succeed – 67 votes are needed to condemn, and it is unclear whether enough Republicans would be willing to vote against Trump.
In the event that the GOP fails to distance itself from Trump – either during these procedures or after them – he may lose one of his more moderate members, at least in name.
Given his response to Ruskin, the Alaskan senator would likely become an independent. But independent senators still tend to choose caucus with one of the two main parties, in part, to be considered for committee assignments. For example, Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is an independent, but he falls with the Democrats, as does Angus King of Maine, which means that both count for the new Democratic majority and also receive assignments from the Senate committee for the Democratic leadership.
The specific formulation of Ruskin’s question is important for understanding Murkowski’s intention. The reporter asked whether the senator would join the Democratic majority, what she could do as an independent, and not join the Democratic Party.
Murkowski’s response indicates that, although she calls herself independent, she will probably still meet with Republicans to maintain their positions on Senate committees. She is currently chairman of the Senate’s Energy and Natural Resources Committee, an important assignment for a senator from a state dominated by oil and natural resources. Being independent without caucus with either party would probably make her lose that assignment.
But regardless of whether she leaves the Republican Party, Murkowski will remain a key target for courting by both parties on key issues like health and abortion.
Murkowski has long established himself as a moderate voice, usually unrestricted by the Republican leadership. In 2010, after losing the Republican primaries by her own seat, she launched a famous written campaign. Her victory demonstrated that she did not need the Republican establishment to win her seat, giving her some freedom to operate independently on several important issues, such as the repeal of the Affordable Care Act in 2017 and her refusal in 2018 to vote to confirm Brett of the Supreme Court. Kavanaugh.