“No – not at all,” said the second Republican when asked if he can defend what Trump did. “The way he handled the post-election, both in terms of his public statements and in the things he tried to do to change the outcome, no.”
“Well, that’s a good question,” said Thune, who faces re-election in South Dakota next year. “One way, obviously, would be in a court of law.”
When asked about Trump’s actions in relation to the January 6 Capitol riot, Senator John Cornyn of Texas, a member of the Republican Party leadership, said: “I will not defend them.”
“I think he has already been held responsible in the public opinion court,” said Cornyn when asked if the Senate should take any action, arguing that this would set a “dangerous precedent” for convicting a former president.
The rhetoric shows the split between House and Senate Republicans as the party struggles to find its voice after the tumultuous era was Trump. Many House Republicans remain staunch supporters of Trump, saying he did nothing wrong and should not be blamed for the violence that occurred on Capitol Hill.
Most House Republicans supported efforts to eliminate President Joe Biden’s electoral victories in two key states, while only a handful did so in the Senate. After California House Republican Party leader Kevin McCarthy, from California, reversed his criticism of Trump and took a tour of South Florida on Thursday to meet with the former president, he went out of his way to proclaim that they were united in their struggle to retake the Chamber. year. Back in Washington, Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, has made it clear that he has not spoken to Trump since December 15, and it is not clear whether he will speak again.
Only five Republicans voted to eliminate Paulo’s procedural motion. Paul told CNN that he informed the Republican locker room the night before the vote on his plans, a move that allowed most Republicans to quickly line up behind his message that the Senate has no role in holding a trial after a president leaves office.
The five who voted against Paul’s effort include one who is retiring (Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania), three who did not say whether they voted for Trump in November or someone else (Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Ben Sasse of Nebraska) and another who voted to condemn Trump in his first impeachment trial (Senator Mitt Romney of Utah). Several of them argued that there is a precedent for the Senate to try former federal office holders, a key point that Democratic impeachment managers plan to make during the trial.
But with that vote earlier this week, both sides agree that there is virtually no way for the 67 votes needed to condemn Trump, and also prevent him from taking office, given that Democrats have only 50 seats in the House.
“I already condemned them,” said Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, when asked if he could defend Trump’s actions.
Asked what Republicans should do about it, Cassidy said: “There is something in our country called due process and there are things called kangaroo courts. We don’t need a kangaroo court.”
Senator Mike Braun initially agreed to oppose the results of the Arizona Electoral College, but gave up on that attempt after protesters invaded the Capitol. However, he is also doing the dance of the Republican Party in the Senate: criticizing Trump while indicating that he will not condemn.
“I think most would have a hard time saying there was no connection” between Trump’s actions and deadly violence, Braun said. But the Indiana Republican said he was concerned about condemning someone who was no longer in office. “For me, it is a terrible precedent to be set. He is not here, he is an ordinary citizen.”
Asked how they should hold Trump accountable now, Braun said: “I think he will be held accountable in the way that people will resolve him with whatever he plans to do in the future.”
Aaron Pellish of CNN contributed to this report.