Trump tears up McConnell in lengthy statement after being acquitted in impeachment trial



[ad_1]

“Mitch is an austere, brooding, smileless political hacker, and if Republican senators want to stick with him, they won’t win anymore,” Trump said in the statement. “He will never do what needs to be done or what is right for our country. When necessary and appropriate, I will support the main rivals who espouse Making America Great Again and our America First policy. We want to be brilliant, strong, thoughtful, and compassionate leadership. “

Trump concluded: “This is a great moment for our country, and we cannot let it go by using third-rate ‘leaders’ to dictate our future!”

The clash between current and former GOP leaders comes as the Republican Party as a whole grapples with warring factions at odds over whether to continue to look like Trump or chart a course deviating from it. legacy of the former president.

McConnell has repeatedly berated Trump’s incitement to the Jan.6 insurgency on Capitol Hill, despite voting to acquit the former president of the charge. In remarks on the Senate floor shortly after Trump was cleared in a 57-43 vote, McCconnell suggested the former president could face criminal charges.
“There is no doubt that former President Trump bears moral responsibility,” McConnell wrote Monday in a Wall Street Journal op-ed on the riot. “His supporters stormed the Capitol because of the deranged lies he shouted into the world’s largest megaphone. His behavior during and after the chaos was also unacceptable, ranging from attacking Vice President Mike Pence for riot to praise the criminals after the end. “

CNN reported last month that McConnell had indicated that he believed the impeachment of Trump would make it easier to get rid of the former president and Trumpism from the Republican Party, according to a source familiar with the matter.

In the final weeks of Trump’s presidency, the relationship between the then Senate majority leader and Trump – the two most powerful men in the Republican Party – had essentially collapsed, multiple sources told CNN .

Trump’s statement on Tuesday adds McConnell to the list of Republicans the former president is targeting after opposing him.

CNN reported last month that Trump is focusing his political energy on Republican Liz Cheney of Wyoming, the third House Republican, who voted for her impeachment last month.
Trump’s push comes as Minority House Leader Kevin McCarthy, a Republican from California, works to solidify his relationship with the former president, including meeting with Trump at his resort town in Palm Beach, Mar- a-Lago, in January. McCarthy and Trump discussed the midterm elections in 2022, according to a reading provided by his Save America PAC.

This is a breaking story and will be updated.

[ad_2]

Source link