In a tacit break with Trump, House Republicans will not formally lobby against his impeachment.

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: New York Times




House Republican leaders have decided not to formally lobby members of the party against voting to impeach President Trump, making a tacit break with him as they scrambled to gauge support within their ranks for a vote on Wednesday to charge him with inciting violence against the country.

While Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the minority leader, has said that he will “personally” oppose impeachment and sought to steer Republicans in a different direction, his decision not to officially lean on lawmakers to vote against the move constituted a subtle shift away from the president. In the past — including the last time Mr. Trump was impeached by the House — Mr. McCarthy and House leaders have lobbied Republicans intensely to stand behind Mr. Trump on nearly every issue, demanding the same degree of absolute loyalty that the president himself has required.

In the Senate, Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, has also conspicuously declined to defend Mr. Trump in any way or to speak out against the impeachment push, which — if it resulted in a Senate conviction — could bar the president from holding public office again. Two Senate Republicans had already called upon the president to resign, and advisers privately speculated that a dozen or so more could ultimately favor convicting the president at trial.

If all senators were voting, 17 Republicans would have to join Democrats to convict Mr. Trump of high crimes and misdemeanors; if they did so, only a majority would be required to disqualify him from being elected again. Mr. Trump has offered Republicans few reasons to rally around him. Speaking about the attack for the first time in days on Tuesday, he expressed no remorse and said his speech encouraging his supporters to march to the Capitol and confront Congress immediately before the rampage had been “totally appropriate.” It was the specter of his impeachment, he said, that was “causing tremendous anger.”

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/01/12/us/impeachment-trump-25th-amendment/in-a-tacit-break-with-trump-house-republicans-will-not-formally-lobby-against-his-impeachment

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Half-assed cowardly decision.

[FoxNewsSucks]

1. "Half-assed cowardly decision."

Exactly what one would expect from a bunch of craven half-assed cowards.

[Iliyah]

2. It's all about that mean green . .

[Mme. Defarge]

3. Money talks.

[njhoneybadger]

4. What fresh Hell is this?

[StClone]

5. Seventeen Rs is all that is needed from full Senate.

Can we scrape together enough courage for the future of America?

[TheRickles]

6. Murkowski, Toomey, Romney and 14 others. Not looking very promising at the moment.

[Mike 03]

10. A few I wonder about

Thune
Sasse
Grassley (I know, but I have my reasons for thinking he might go for it)

...?

Doubtful but maybes:

Cotton (for strategic reasons of course, not to do the right thing)
Cornyn

[BumRushDaShow]

11. Somebody had a list yesterday

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=14893111

Romney
Sasse
Murkowski
Thune
Collins
Burr

Maybes:

Paul
Toomey
Ernst (I know)

I added Portman to it since he refused to go along with the objections to the Electoral College although out of the other side of his mouth, he has done the usual insult Democrats shtick. Someone suggested Turtle. Not sure about him but he has refused to speak to or meet with 45 for months.

[groundloop]

28. It would take fewer than 17 if a few GOPer Senators have prior commitments and don't vote

[BumRushDaShow]

29. I suppose depending on the timing

there would be 2 GOP Senators not there (Loeffler and Perdue). GA is expected to certify the election of Warnock and Ossoff by January 22nd from what I understand. But I know these trials can take a long time if they choose to actually go through that whole process.

[NYC Liberal]

8. From Twitter:

Link to tweet

My brother just texted me: “I love the fact that the entire moral fate of the country depends on finding just 17 honest Republicans. It’s like some impossible task from a fairytale.”

[SheltieLover]

19. NO KIDDING!

[Mike 03]

9. Just for what it's worth, George Conway as of yesterday tweeted that

he believes we have the votes.

But like most of us, I'm skeptical but hopeful.

[Massacure]

12. I wonder where he gets that belief from

The number I've seen floated around is 10-12 republican votes.

[scarletwoman]

17. Votes in the House for impeachment, or votes in the Senate to convict?

[RainCaster]

26. Senate conviction

[BobTheSubgenius]

18. Most of us, indeed!

SOOO hopeful, but history has given us little comfort of that fond wish coming true.

[Tommymac]

23. Moscow Mitch has just said he is pleased the House is Impeaching.

Because it will make it easier 'to purge' Trump from the party.

I think the Senate would convict if they can be called to meet before the 19th.

[SledDriver]

7. ...including the last time Mr. Trump was impeached by the House

[Ford_Prefect]

13. It is a publicly told lie. They have already said what will happen to GOP who vote to impeach

They said it to them in caucus but the threat was no less genuine. Voting against the president is the same as voting against the party, and no one who does that remains a Republican who gets committee assignments and other perks of office, along with GOP funding and strategy.

[PatrickforO]

14. They really aren't ever going to develop spines, are they?

Tacit, indeed. These people are a huge part of the problem.

[dawn5651]

15. mccarthy is a enabler ...he needs to go

[KS Toronado]

16. No big news here, McCarthy & Moscow Mitch are simply telling repug congress members

Don't drag me into this mess, it's every man/woman for themselves. Go survey your voters and decide
your own best path to reelection.

[Lonestarblue]

20. I've been watching Nicole Wallace, and she just reported that McConnell is for impeachment.

She reported that he said something like the Republican Party needed to excise Trump from the party. I hope that’s an accurate report. It doesn’t actually sound like McConnell.

[BumRushDaShow]

22. See this

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10142668760

(there's a news dump going on!)

[Tommymac]

24. Purge was the word used.

[llmart]

30. LOL

He can wear them on his anus mouth. Ugh, he is one ugly person.

[COL Mustard]

21. And They'll No Doubt Expect

To be remembered as great statesmen and women for their principled act of political courage.

[maddogesq]

25. For any R Senator up for election in 2 years...

this should be a no-brainer.


Fellas, you got your tax cuts and lotsa judges. Throwing DT under the bus gives you an out come election time...makes you look heroic despite the fact that you have enabled the sociopath for the last 4 years.

[bucolic_frolic]

27. Republicans could have prevented ALL of this by removing Trump a year ago; They feigned deafness.

They have a lot of questions to answer, and Democrats have to frame the issue and bring it. Big time.

[whistler162]

31. Rep. John Katko 1

[BumRushDaShow]

32. And Darth Cheney's spawn - Liz 2