Republican senators are struggling to know what they want their party’s future relationship with Donald Trump
Donald TrumpIran condemns American businessman on espionage charge: DC report, capitals see few problems, heavy security amid protest concerns Those seeking forgiveness paid Trump’s allies tens of thousands to lobby President: NYT MORE to be after he leaves office on Wednesday.
Faced with a deeply divided Republican Senate conference, the Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell
Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellGraham asks Schumer to withhold vote to reject impeachment article against Trump Rove: chances of conviction increase if Giuliani represents Trump in Senate impeachment trial Boebert’s director of communications resigns amid Capitol riots (R-Ky.) He is giving his colleagues free rein to vote on his conscience when the Senate judges Trump on the charge that he has incited an insurrection.
McConnell is telling colleagues that he himself has not yet decided whether to vote to condemn Trump in a House-approved impeachment article and associates describe the Republican Party leader “so furious” with that attack on Capitol by a pro-Trump crowd.
The New York Times reported that McConnell told associates that he sees the impeachment effort as a way for the Republican Party to break with Trump, although the Republican Party leader later dismissed what he called “speculation” in the press.
A Senate vote to condemn Trump would need at least 17 Republican votes to be successful if all 50 Democratic senators voted to condemn. A second vote could be taken to prevent Trump from running again. This would require a simple majority in the Senate.
While a good number of Republican senators would like to break free from what they see as Trump’s destabilizing and often erratic leadership, Republican strategists and advisers warn that there is a serious political risk in banning him from future political positions.
“I don’t think it’s an easy decision, but I think there would be a lot more overt Republican support if it weren’t tied to the Democrats’ clear desire to prevent him from running for office again,” said Vin Weber, a Republican Strategist. “This is the real issue politically.
“A lot of people in both parties who want Trump to just think, ‘That’s good, let’s get rid of Trump. He cannot run again, ”he added.
But he warned that “Trump’s radical people, which probably means most Republican voters, still see Trump as their leader [and] they see the election as stolen. “
“If we take the initiative to ban Trump from running again, they will not say that nothing has been stolen. They will simply say that the country’s power structure has prevented our leader from running again and they will be right, ”he added. “You created an impossible situation in terms of trying to soften the divisions in the country a little and smooth the vote on the radical pro-Trump side.”
Some Republicans are already using this as a justification to oppose impeachment.
Sen. Tim Scott
Timothy (Tim) Eugene ScottHarris will step down from the Senate seat on Monday McConnell says he is undecided on whether to vote to convict Trump McConnell will not repeat his role as Trump’s top advocate MORE (RS.C.), an influential member of the Republican Party Senate conference who led the effort to mount a Republican police reform project last year, warned that Trump’s impeachment would undermine efforts to promote national unity after the 2020 conflict.
“An impeachment vote will only lead to more hatred and a deeply fragmented nation,” he said, arguing that condemning Trump “would fly in direct opposition to what the president-elect Joe Biden
Joe Biden Fear of internal attacks leads to additional FBI screening of National Guard troops: AP Iran condemns American businessman on espionage charge: DC report, capitals see few problems, heavy security amid protests MORE is calling all year. “
At the same time, outrage grew within the Senate Republican Conference as details of the news about last week’s attack on Congress emerged.
Federal prosecutors said in a lawsuit on Friday that they had “strong evidence” that protesters who violated the Capitol intended to “capture and murder elected officials”, including the vice president Mike Pence
Michael (Mike) Richard PenceNewly released a video from inside the Capitol siege showing protesters confronting the police, scouring Senate desks Author: Meadows is the worst White House chief of staff in history Democratic lawmaker says “murder party” pursued Pelosi during the riot MORE.
This revelation sparked Sen’s outrage. Ben Sasse
Ben SasseSasse, in an ardent article, says that QAnon is destroying GOP Hawley and Cruz’s Democratic super PAC in a new advertising campaign. Hotel cancels fundraising for Hawley after Capitol riot: “We are horrified” MORE (R-Neb.), An influential conservative who could run for president in 2024.
“These men were not drunks who got rowdy – they were terrorists attacking the constitutionally determined transfer of power in this country. They failed, but they came dangerously close to starting a bloody constitutional crisis. They must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, ”said Sasse in a statement.
Trump’s declining popularity, his words of encouragement to a crowd of supporters before the Capitol invasion last week, and his belittled and baseless claims that the 2020 election was stolen make Republican Party senators look for a way to break decisively with the outgoing president.
A small group of Republican senators has signaled that they are open to voting to condemn Trump for inciting the crowd.
“I believe that this president committed an offense liable to impeachment through his words on January 6, and until January 6, when he was not honest with the American people about the election and the election results,” sen. Lisa Murkowski
Lisa Ann Murkowski Democratic lawmaker says ‘murder party’ was hunted by Pelosi during the riot. Impeachment trial tests Trump’s control over the ‘Almost paradise, West Virginia’ Senate party – Joe Manchin and a 50-50 Senate MORE (R-Alaska) told KTUU, an Alaskan news channel.
Sasse, Sens. Pat Toomey
Patrick (Pat) Joseph ToomeyThe government used the Patriot Act to collect records of website visitors in 2019 The appeals court ruled that the mass collection of telephone data from the NSA is illegal. (R-Pa.), Susan Collins
Susan Margaret Collins Impeachment trial tests Trump’s control over the Senate Republican Party ‘Almost heaven, West Virginia’ – Joe Manchin and a 50-50 Senate McConnell about to study Trump on political power for the last time MORE (R-Maine) and Mitt Romney
Willard (Mitt) Mitt RomneyImpeachment trial tests Trump’s control over GOP Senate ‘Almost Heaven, West Virginia’ – Joe Manchin and a 50-50 Senate The Hill’s Morning Report – Biden asks Congress to expand the biggest bailout response in history from the USA MORE (R-Utah) also said that Trump committed impeachable offenses or blamed him for inciting the crowd that invaded the Capitol.
But Republican aides say Democrats will not get 17 Republican senators to vote to condemn Trump after he leaves office.
“It is an opportunity to purge Trump, yes. I don’t know if there are 17 votes for that. This is yet another opportunity for Democrats to continue trying to destroy the Republican Party. What the Democrats have done very successfully is to politicize impeachment without hearings, no case in the House, ”said a Republican Senate aide.
The aide predicted that Trump’s legal team would respond to the Senate floor with statements and videos of Democratic politicians urging their supporters to “fight” and expressing sympathy for the Black Lives Matter protests last year, which resulted in the destruction of properties and deaths in several cities.
Already Sen. Ted Cruz
Rafael (Ted) Edward CruzThe newly released video from inside the Capitol siege shows protesters confronting the police, scouring Senate tables. Can we protect our country – from our rulers and ourselves? Democratic Super PAC targets Hawley and Cruz in new advertising campaign MORE (R-Texas), who has been called by several Democratic colleagues to step down because if his role in opposing the final counting of electoral votes for Biden, is pointing to Democrats’ support for the summer protests.
Some Republicans, like Sen. Tom Cotton
Tom Bryant CottonOfficials prepares for Trump Booker’s second impeachment trial: It would be ‘constitutionally dangerous’ not to conduct a full Trump impeachment trial. Can we protect our country – from our rulers and ourselves? MORE (R-Ark.) Will try to get around the issue of whether Trump committed impeachable crimes by arguing that impeachment does not apply to a private citizen, which is what Trump will be like when the Senate trial begins.
“The founders planned the impeachment process as a way to remove occupiers from public office – not an investigation against private citizens,” he said in a statement.
There is also growing uncertainty about Nancy Pelosi
Nancy PelosiCowboys for Trump founder arrested after riot by retired Army Capitol General: ‘We can’t have protesters showing up at the state capitol with very long weapons’ Graham asks Schumer to vote to reject impeachment article against Trump MORE (D-Calif.) It will even send the impeachment article approved by the House to the Senate this month, as this would force a trial to begin immediately, which would halt work on the $ 1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief proposal. that Biden revealed on Thursday and hanging confirmation of his nominees for the Cabinet.
The Republican aide said that Republicans are unlikely to give Democrats consent to work on a coronavirus relief bill and confirm Biden’s nominees while the trial is underway, meaning that the new president’s agenda may be paralyzed by weeks.
Some Democrats are already refusing to put the Senate on a two-week to a month break to conduct an impeachment trial.
Sen. Joe Manchin
Joseph (Joe) ManchinBiden’s tax increase proposals face rough roads. Senate Democrats are wary of stopping obstructionist Manchin: removing Hawley, Cruz with the 14th Amendment ‘should be considered’ MORE (DW.Va.), an influential centrist, says that holding a Senate trial after Trump leaves office “makes no common sense”.
Sen. Chris Murphy
Christopher (Chris) Scott MurphySenate Democrats wary of overriding obstruction Democratic senator: relief from COVID-19 is priority over impeachment trial Lawmakers refuse Trump’s late designation of terrorist Yemeni Houthis MORE (D-Conn.) He said on Friday that his priority is to move an aid package and Biden’s nominees before conducting a trial to convict a former president.
The Senate trial cannot begin before 1 pm on January 20, after Trump is out of office, because the upper house is in recess until Tuesday.