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“No – not at all,” Republican No.2 said when asked if he could stand up for what Trump has done. “The way he handled the post-election, both in terms of public statements and the things he tried to do to change the result, no.”
“Well that’s a good question,” said Thune, who is due for re-election in South Dakota next year. “One way, of course, would be in a court of law.”
Asked about Trump’s actions in connection with the Jan. 6 riot on Capitol Hill, GOP leadership Senator John Cornyn of Texas said, “I’m not going to defend them.”
“I think he has already been held accountable in the court of public opinion,” Cornyn said when asked if the Senate should take any action, arguing it would set a “dangerous precedent” to convict a former president.
The rhetoric highlights the split between Republicans in the House and Senate as the party struggles to find its voice after Trump’s tumultuous era. Many House Republicans remain strong supporters of Trump, saying he did nothing wrong and should not be blamed for the violence that occurred on Capitol Hill.
A majority of House Republicans backed efforts to reject President Joe Biden’s electoral victories in two key states, while only a handful did so in the Senate. After House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy of California rejected his criticism of Trump and traveled to South Florida on Thursday to meet with the former president, he went out of his way to proclaim that ‘they were united in their fight to retake the House. year. Returning to Washington, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky, made it clear that he had not spoken to Trump since December 15, and it is unclear whether he will do so at new.
Only five Republicans voted to kill Paul’s procedural motion. Paul told CNN he briefed the Republican locker room the day before his plans were voted on, a move that allowed most Republicans to quickly align with their message that the Senate has no role in the process. holding a trial after a president has left office.
The five who voted against Paul’s effort included one who is retiring (Senator Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania), three who did not say whether they voted for Trump in November or whether they voted for someone. ‘another (Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Ben Sasse of Nebraska) and another who voted to convict 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 Democratic impeachment officials plan to make during the trial.
But with that vote earlier this week, both sides agree there is virtually no path to the 67 votes needed to condemn Trump, and bar him from office as well, given that Democrats hold only 50 seats. in the room.
“I have condemned them before,” said GOP Senator 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 pledged to oppose the Arizona Electoral College results, but later dropped that effort after rioters broke into the Capitol. Yet he’s also doing the GOP Senate dance: criticizing Trump while saying he won’t condemn.
“I think most would have a hard time saying there was no connection” between Trump’s actions and the deadly violence, Braun said. But the Indiana Republican said he was worried about convicting someone who is no longer in office. “For me, this is a terrible precedent to set. He is not here, he is a simple citizen.”
Asked how they should hold Trump accountable now, Braun said: “I think he’s going to be held accountable for the way people deal with him with whatever he intends to do in the future. . “
CNN’s Aaron Pellish contributed to this report.
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