Donald Trump Meets With Kevin McCarthy At Mar-A-Lago To Plan 2022 Republican House Takeover

Posted on January 29, 2021 by John Hanson

On Thursday, House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy met with former President Trump in Florida where the two discussed plans at Mar-a-Lago on how Republicans could take back the House in 2022.

McCarthy’s meeting was “very good and cordial” with the former President, according to Trump’s team.

After the meeting, McCarthy tweeted, “United and ready to win in ’22”

United and ready to win in '22. https://t.co/YJWqCdBrCh

— Kevin McCarthy (@kevinomccarthy) January 28, 2021

‘President Trump Has Agreed To Work With Leader McCarthy’ On 2022

A statement from the Trump-backed Save America PAC read, “President Trump has agreed to work with Leader McCarthy on helping the Republican Party to become a majority in the House.”

“They worked very well together in the last election and picked up at least 15 seats when most predicted it would be the opposite,” it continued. “They will do so again, and the work has already started.”

A statement from McCarthy’s team on the meeting read, “For the sake of our country, the radical Democrat agenda must be stopped.”

“A united conservative movement will strengthen the bonds of our citizens and uphold the freedoms our country was founded on.”

Fox News reports that an aide familiar the meeting said its purpose was to move the Republican Party forward.

The aide told Fox News, “They are catching up as McCarthy will be in the neighborhood.”

“They’ve been on good terms for a while, and that will be important for the party moving forward” the aide added.

Fact check… True! “President Trump's popularity has never been stronger than it is today, and his endorsement means more than perhaps any endorsement at any time.'” https://t.co/nz9bUhctaO

— Tammy Bruce (@HeyTammyBruce) January 28, 2021

Liz Cheney A Top Target For Trump

CNN reports that Trump will bring his energy to bear on neoconservative Rep. Liz Cheney, the #3 Republican in the House.

Cheney, along with nine other Republicans, voted with Democrats to impeach Trump in January.

According to CNN, Trump has been following the effort by House Republicans to remove Cheney from her leadership position.

Just this week, America First Congressman Matt Gaetz, a top ally of Trump, flew to Wyoming to encourage Republicans to toss Cheney and elect someone else to Congress.

The Meeting Indicates GOP Needs Very Popular Trump

The meeting was reportedly set up after Trump’s team learned McCarthy would be fundraising in Florida.

It is no secret McCarthy would like to replace Nancy Pelosi as House Speaker if his party can take back the House in two years.

Trump invited McCarthy to Mar-a-Lago and the House Republican Leader was quick to accept.

What this also signifies besides the upcoming midterm is that top Republican leaders appear to have no plans to break away from Trump following the January 6 Capitol Hill attacks.

McCarthy had said that Trump bore some responsibility for the attack.

INBOX: Statement from President. Trump’s Save America PAC says he and @GOPLeader McCarthy met today. “President Trump’s popularity has never been stronger than it is today, and his endorsement means more than perhaps any endorsement at any time.” (Photo came with press release) pic.twitter.com/Ar2GxaaVRD

— Ed O'Keefe (@edokeefe) January 28, 2021

McCarthy Criticized Trump After Capitol Violence

Opposing impeachment on the House floor on January 13, McCarthy still said “the President bears responsibility for Wednesday’s attack on Congress by mob rioters.”

“He should have immediately denounced the mob when he saw what was unfolding,” McCarthy added. “These facts require immediate action by President Trump.”

As for whether or not Trump’s speech that day provoked the attack, McCarthy said last week, “I don’t believe he provoked it if you listen to what he said at the rally.”

It is likely that this subject was not a focus when McCarthy and Trump met Thursday at the former president’s resort.

Whether Republican leaders like it or not, Republican voters still very much support President Trump.

An Axios poll from the week after the Capitol incident showed that 92% of Republican voters want to see Trump run for President again in 2024.

The post Donald Trump Meets With Kevin McCarthy At Mar-A-Lago To Plan 2022 Republican House Takeover appeared first on The Political Insider.

RNC Says They Will Be Neutral If Trump Runs In 2024 – But Polls Show GOP Voters Definitely Won’t

Posted on January 28, 2021 by Becky Noble

The Republican National Committee (RNC) says it will not actively back former President Donald Trump should he decide to run again in 2024 and will remain neutral in the contest.

RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel said in an interview with the Associated Press that, “The party has to stay neutral. I’m not telling anybody to run or not to run in 2024. That’s going to be up to those candidates going forward. What I really do want to see him do, though, is help us win back majorities in 2022.”

Republican National Committee head declines to encourage former President Trump to run again in 2024, saying the GOP would stay neutral in the presidential primary. RNC Chairman Ronna McDaniel also describes the QAnon conspiracy theory as “dangerous.”https://t.co/Xa9EF9pgGK

— The Associated Press (@AP) January 27, 2021

There Are Visible Differences In The GOP

2020 Senior Advisor to the Trump campaign Jason Miller says that is exactly what Trump wants to do.

Miller says the president, “made clear his goal is to win back the House and Senate for Republicans in 2022.”

But there are some visible fissures in the Republican Party. All is not well for 2022.

A perfect example of that is the recent sniping between Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and Liz Cheney (R-WY).

Gaetz, a strong and vocal supporter of Donald Trump, flew to Cheney’s state of Wyoming to campaign against her, after she voted to impeach President Trump.

When Gaetz announced he would go to Wyoming to help “inspire” voters to oust Cheney, her office responded with snark, stating, “Rep. Gaetz can leave his beauty bag at home. In Wyoming the men don’t wear make-up.”

"Rep. Gaetz can leave his beauty bag at home. In Wyoming, the men don’t wear make-up.” – Liz Cheney

— Hoodlum (@NotHoodlum) January 24, 2021

There has been a lot of speculation as to what Donald Trump’s future plans might be, aside from helping the GOP in 2022.

Indications are that Trump won’t just be helping the GOP, but trying to reshape it as well.

There has been talk of Trump starting a third party. Donald has even come up with a name for it, the “Patriot Party.”

Reports indicated that Trump was using the specter of a third party to hold Republicans in line on the upcoming impeachment trial.

Instead, The Donald has apparently decided to primary challenge “Never Trump” Republicans.

It was also reported that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was “pleased” about impeachment, saying he thought that it might help to “purge” Trump from the Republican Party.

What McConnell and the rest of his crowd don’t seem to realize is that he may very well “purge” Republican voters, angry at the party for dissing Trump.

A poll from Axios shows that Republicans side with Trump over McConnell – big time.

There has also been belief that Trump may start a media outlet to rival Fox News.

Trump has been highly critical of the conservative news channel since the early call for Arizona for Joe Biden on election night.

What happens when the boss descends from the luxurious Editor-in-Chief office @ordinarytimemag to compete in the arena of ideas? @trumwill rehashes the now infamous Fox News Arizona call on Election Night 2020 and the recent firings that sprang from it https://t.co/km7QbG9wwM

— Andrew Donaldson (@four4thefire) January 21, 2021

America First vs. America Last

The divide within the Republican Party may be just this simple, but simple isn’t always without casualties. There is clearly now a Trump wing of the party which includes guys like Matt Gaetz.

That fact makes the Mitch McConnells and the Liz Cheneys of the party crazy.

Gaetz’s America First vision of a strong economy, peace, low taxes and regulations, and less government interference – the things that Trump ran on in 2016 – have more of an attraction to average Americans.

What Trump called the “America Last” agenda consists of sending American troops hither and yon for indefinite periods of time, not standing up to the liberal Democrat agenda, and voting to impeach a president that his supporters feel is the only one listening to them.

The Cheney/McConnell types support the latter vision.

And they seem to be hanging on for dear life to the idea of Democrat “unity.” The definition of which is usually means ‘Republicans shut up and cave to Democrats.’

The Numbers Are In Trump’s Favor

A Rasmussen survey released on Tuesday said that 56% of Republican voters “believe that Trump should either probably or definitely run for president again in 2024, or at least be a political power figure.

Fifty-three percent believe a third party is a good idea.

ICYMI: Most GOP Voters Say Trump Third Party Is a Good Idea.

Red Sky in Morning, RINOS Take Warning?

Crosstabs with Party Splits … https://t.co/Oi7JuvDSOF pic.twitter.com/dgbn87JnbT

— Rasmussen Reports (@Rasmussen_Poll) January 27, 2021

The aforementioned Axios poll has a whopping 92% of Republicans agreeing that Trump should be the GOP candidate for President in 2024.

The post RNC Says They Will Be Neutral If Trump Runs In 2024 – But Polls Show GOP Voters Definitely Won’t appeared first on The Political Insider.

Biden White House Responds To Twitter Banning Trump – They Feel ‘Blessed’

Posted on January 28, 2021 by LifeZette

President Joe Biden’s White House reportedly feels “blessed” over the fact that Twitter banned Donald Trump earlier this month.

Biden’s White House Feels ‘Blessed’ Trump Has Been Banned From Twitter

“The President spent two years ignoring Trump’s distractions and staying focused on the message he wanted to deliver, and it paid off with a commanding win,” an unnamed White House official told Politico, which described Twitter banning Trump as a “priceless gift.”

The official went on to say that the Biden administration will stick to its communications strategy regardless of what Trump does in the future.

“Whether or not Trump slinks back into public view or opens up a Parler account isn’t going to make a difference in how we communicate with the American people,” the official said.

Another source who Politico described as an “outside adviser” said that Biden’s White House feels “blessed” by Trump not being on Twitter.

“Not having to deal with a deranged new tweet every hour? They feel blessed,” the adviser claimed.

Trump Banned From Twitter Earlier This Month

Twitter banned Trump earlier this month after accusing him of inciting the riots at the Capitol. Since then, Trump has remained almost completely silent after leaving the White House and heading to Florida.

“It has become abundantly clear since his absence on Twitter how much Trump was driving a media narrative,” said Paul Bentz, an Arizona-based Republican strategist and pollster.

Philip N. Howard, director of the Oxford Internet Institute, celebrated Trump being removed from Twitter as well.

“Trump had an amazing ability to distract from issues. He was able to plant seeds of doubt about entire institutions and regular democratic processes,” he said. “Having him off Twitter allows the conversation about climate change to stay on topic — and about evidence. The conversation about race and social inequality can stay focused on policy ideas.”

“He was a kind of sinkhole in the media ecosystem,” Howard added, “which often trapped professional journalists into covering inane stories or simply burned them out as individuals.”

Though Twitter banned Trump, however, support for him is not dwindling. A new Morning Consult poll found that an increasing number of Republicans, 50 percent, want Trump to play a “major role” in putting together the future of the GOP.

This piece was written by James Samson on January 28, 2021. It originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.

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Dead On Arrival: 45 Republicans – Including McConnell – Vote That Trump’s Impeachment Trial Is Unconstitutional

Posted on January 27, 2021 by Rusty Weiss

A majority of Republicans – including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell – voted Wednesday that the impeachment trial of Donald Trump is unconstitutional.

Senator Rand Paul forced a vote on the matter.

In an op-ed written over the weekend, Paul (R-KY) called the impeachment process against the former President a “farce” and said it should be dismissed.

“The Constitution says two things about impeachment — it is a tool to remove the officeholder, and it must be presided over by the chief justice of the Supreme Court,” he wrote.

Neither of those elements exists in this case, as President Trump is no longer in office and Chief Justice John Roberts has declined to preside over the trial.

Powerful. Can’t wait for the full trial! pic.twitter.com/JgbdcwdejX

— Cerno (@Cernovich) January 26, 2021

Paul Declares Unconstitutional Impeachment Vote Is Dead

Paul called for a procedural vote regarding holding a trial, claiming the Senate shouldn’t address the article of impeachment against Trump because he is out of office.

In a speech prior to the vote – a speech that went viral – the Kentucky Republican blasted Democrats as “hyper-partisan” and suggested they “are about to drag our great country into the gutter of rancor and vitriol the likes of which has never been seen in our nation’s history.”

The Senate voted 55-45 to end debate on Paul’s point of order, but the point, in reality, was made. Only five Republicans joined the Democrats, well below the 17 that would be needed for a vote of conviction.

“If you voted that it was unconstitutional, how in the world would you ever vote to convict somebody for this?” Paul told reporters. “This vote indicates it’s over. The trial is all over.”

He later tweeted that the impeachment trial was “dead on arrival.”

The Senate just voted on my constitutional point of order.

45 Senators agreed that this sham of a “trial” is unconstitutional.

That is more than will be needed to acquit and to eventually end this partisan impeachment process.

This “trial” is dead on arrival in the Senate.

— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) January 26, 2021

Who Joined the Democrats?

Of the five Republicans who voted with Democrats, you had your usual suspects. Typical RINOs who often hide their contempt for President Trump in the cloak of the Constitution, but clearly don’t understand its words.

Susan Collins (ME), Lisa Murkowski (AK), Ben Sasse (NE), Pat Toomey (PA), and Mitt Romney (UT) all voted to table Paul’s point of order.

Article I, Section 3 of the Constitution reads in part:

The Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments. When sitting for that Purpose, they shall be on Oath or Affirmation. When the President of the United States is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside: And no Person shall be convicted without the Concurrence of two thirds of the Members present.

Judgment in Cases of Impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any Office of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States: but the Party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to Indictment, Trial, Judgment and Punishment, according to Law.

McConnell, surprisingly, voted against ending the debate.

McConnell has reportedly viewed the Democrats’ effort to impeach the president as a means to “help rid the Republican Party of Trump and his movement.”

RINOs ready to join with Radical Dems to destroy the Republican Party: McConnell furious with president, supports move to initiate impeachment proceedings: sources https://t.co/R3isoLbQ9Q #FoxNews

— Lou Dobbs (@LouDobbs) January 13, 2021

A recent poll from Axios-Ipsos shows Republican voters have been siding with President Trump over McConnell on the matter.

A majority have said they do not hold Trump responsible for the Capitol riots, believe he has a right to challenge the election, and still prefer him as their nominee in 2024.

Republicans across the U.S. are siding with President Trump over Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell — big time — according to a new Axios-Ipsos poll. https://t.co/jqkhRlfE6O pic.twitter.com/CgnV3xLttp

— Axios (@axios) January 14, 2021

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer indicated earlier this week that President Trump’s impeachment trial would be “quick,” adding no decision has been made on the need for witnesses.

Evidence is beginning to point to this unconstitutional impeachment trial as a sham – perhaps even more so than the first one.

The post Dead On Arrival: 45 Republicans – Including McConnell – Vote That Trump’s Impeachment Trial Is Unconstitutional appeared first on The Political Insider.

Cindy McCain Breaks Her Silence After She’s Censored By Arizona GOP

Posted on January 25, 2021 by LifeZette

Cindy McCain, the widow of the late Republican Senator John McCain, has broken her silence after being censored by the Arizona GOP for supporting Joe Biden over Donald Trump in the last presidential election.

Cindy McCain Breaks Her Silence

“It is a high honor to be included in a group of Arizonans who have served our state and our nation so well … and who, like my late husband John, have been censured by the AZGOP. I’ll wear this as a badge of honor,” McCain tweeted on Saturday.

It is a high honor to be included in a group of Arizonans who have served our state and our nation so well…and who, like my late husband John, have been censured by the AZGOP. I’ll wear this as a badge of honor.

— Cindy McCain (@cindymccain) January 24, 2021

McCain was censored along with former Arizona Senator Jeff Flake, who also endorsed Biden, and current Governor Doug Ducey, who fought back against Trump’s efforts to overturn the election results.

McCain was censored because she “has supported globalist policies and candidates” and “condemned President Trump for his criticism of her husband and erroneously placed behaviors over actual presidential results,” according to AZCentral.com. The Arizona GOP said that Flake, was censored because he “condemned the Republican Party, rejected populism, and rejected the interests of the American people over globalist interests.”

As for Ducey, he allegedly restricted “personal liberties” and forced “compliance to unconstitutional edicts” when he imposed emergency rules during the coronavirus pandemic.

Cindy McCain Discusses Being Censored

McCain had previously talked about the possibility of being censored while appearing on her daughter Meghan McCain’s ABC talk show “The View.”

“It’s about doing what’s right for the country, and certainly Senator Flake and Governor Ducey have made some very tough decisions lately and in the past, but it was for the good of our state and the country,” she said. “I’m in good company, your dad was censured by them. I think I’m going to make T-shirts for everyone and wear them.”

McCain went on to talk about what she feels the current state of the Republican Party is.

“I think what we have seen here is when I began in the Republican Party officially, the Republican Party was the party of inclusion. It was the party of generosity, it was the party of country first,” she said. ‘We have lost our way and it’s time we get back on track because we have always been the party that cared deeply, that loved what our country did and what it stood for.”

“We have lost our way and I truly hope as things progress on and we get further away from this mess that occurred that we can do just that and get back on track and remind people that we are here for the country and not the party,” McCain added.

This piece was written by James Samson on January 25, 2021. It originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.

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Liz Cheney Squirms As She Twice Refuses To Say If Senate Should Hold Impeachment Trial For Trump

Posted on January 22, 2021 by LifeZette

Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) became visibly uncomfortable in an interview on Thursday as she twice refused to say if the Senate should hold an impeachment trial for Donald Trump.

Cheney Refuses To Give Straight Answer On Senate Impeachment

“There’s a Constitutional process that’s underway and you know that is something that the Senate is gonna determine,” Cheney said while appearing on Fox News.

“I think that … again we all need to take a step back and recognize that the fragility of our system, the security, the survival of our republic depends upon making decisions — that have to do with things like the attack that we saw on Jan. 6 — that are separate from the party that can never be partisan … ” she added.

The House voted to impeach Trump for a second time last week, and Cheney was one of ten Republicans who voted in favor of his impeachment, saying that she believes he “lit the flame” of the Capitol riot.

Cheney Dodges Again

Fox News host Bill Hemmer pointed out that Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) “still has the article. If she so chose she could probably keep it. Would you support that now?”

“They’re going to have to decide what the next steps are here. Of course the Senate will have to decide how they’re going to run the trial,” Cheney said, adding that former Vice President Mike Pence deserves “tremendous praise and our gratitude for standing firm for his Constitutional oath, for doing what he knew was right.”

The third highest ranking Republican in the House then said that it was time to “come together as a party now to move forward” and that the GOP caucus must focus its energies on “fighting against the kind of policies” now being advanced by President Joe Biden and a Democratic-controlled Congress. Cheney concluded by calling for a “positive agenda of hope and opportunity.”

This comes as calls are growing for Cheney to resign from her leadership position in the House, but she was defiant when she was questioned about this.

“I’m not going anywhere,” she said. “We’re going to have these discussions inside the conference. We have differences of opinion about a whole range of issues including about this one.”

This piece was written by James Samson on January 21, 2021. It originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.

The post Liz Cheney Squirms As She Twice Refuses To Say If Senate Should Hold Impeachment Trial For Trump appeared first on The Political Insider.

Report: Trump Wants To Create New ‘Patriot Party’

Posted on January 20, 2021 by John Hanson

The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday evening that President Trump is interested in creating a new third party once he leaves office.

The reported name? The ‘Patriot Party.’

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Trump has discussed starting a new political party, to be called the Patriot Party. https://t.co/lSlebhuiOh via @wsj

— Nicholas Kristof (@NickKristof) January 20, 2021

Aides Claim Trump Has Mentioned Creating New Party

The Journal cited “people familiar with the matter” who say Trump has discussed creating a “Patriot Party” and that “several aides and other people close to him” have said the same.

Trump has a widespread appeal with both independent voters and those who have been politically apathetic, meaning their loyalty to the Republican Party is primarily situational.

Give them Republicans they like – Donald Trump – and they might vote Republican.

Give them Republicans they don’t like – Mitch McConnell, Mitt Romney, and the entire GOP establishment – and there is a good chance they won’t vote for the Republican candidate.

The GOP had abandoned its usefulness before we saw what a real leader could do. We need to go forward with what Donald Trump has shown us can be done. Some have suggested a Patriot Party. I like the sound of that.

— Bob Von Bruns (@bobv48) January 19, 2021

Mitch McConnell’s Actions Could Be Deciding Factor

Mitch McConnell should think long and hard about whether he wants to push impeachment.

Trump has feuded with Republican lawmakers in Washington in recent months, with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell at the top of that list.

On Tuesday, McConnell accused Trump of supposedly inciting the January 6 Capitol Hill attack and said moving on with impeachment in the Senate was a matter of conscience.

The Wall Street Journal notes that it isn’t entirely clear if Trump was merely talking out loud about creating a new third party or actually serious about putting in the work that such an effort would take.

Will the rumor of Trump's Patriot Party tip the GOP Senators to vote to ban Trump from ever running again? Buckle up !!

— Helen Armstrong (@HelenArmstrong5) January 20, 2021

Could Trump Make A Third Party Viable?

Third parties in the United States have struggled historically, with Ross Perot’s Reform Party making the strongest showing in modern presidential politics, in 1992.

That third party effort did well in part because it had a strong personality leading it in Mr. Perot.

One can say many things about Donald Trump, but most would agree – friend or foe – that he is a strong personality.

A new party led by Donald Trump could cripple the Republican Party because he might be able to attract countless Americans who would have otherwise voted Republican.

In pushing for impeachment, Mitch McConnell and GOP leadership should be careful what they wish for.

The post Report: Trump Wants To Create New ‘Patriot Party’ appeared first on The Political Insider.

Liz Cheney Voting To Impeach Trump Backfires On Her As She’s Censured By Wyoming Republicans

Posted on January 19, 2021 by LifeZette

Last week, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), who is the third-highest ranking House Republican, broke with her party last week when she was one of ten Republicans to vote with Democrats in impeaching President Donald Trump.

This has already come back to bite her, however, as she has just been censured by Wyoming Republicans for making this vote.

Liz Cheney’s Impeachment Vote Backfires

The House voted to impeach Trump for a second time by a vote of 232-197. Prior to the vote, Cheney released a scathing statement blaming Trump for the Capitol riots. She claimed that Trump “summoned” the rioters and then “lit the flame of this attack.”

“Everything that followed was his doing,” she added. “None of this would have happened without the president. The president could have immediately and forcefully intervened to stop the violence. He did not.”

This backfired on Cheney on Monday, when the Republican Party Central Committee in Carbon County, Wyoming voted unanimously to censure her for supporting impeachment.

“Representative Cheney has violated the trust of her voters, failed to faithfully represent a very large majority of motivated Wyoming voters, and neglected her duty to represent the party and the will of the people who elected her to represent them,” the censure resolution declared.

“The Carbon County Republican Party does hereby censure U.S. Representative Liz Cheney of Wyoming for her actions on Wednesday, January 13th 2020, as those actions stand in contradiction to the quantifiable will of the majority of the electorate of Wyoming, and for devaluing the political influence of the State of Wyoming by voting in favor of a process that followed no known hearing process, provided no evidence to consider, called no witnesses to be sworn, and allowed none of the accusers to be questioned by the accused,” the resolution added.

Things Get Worse For Cheney

Carbon County GOP Chairman Joey Correnti blasted Cheney to the Washington Times, saying that she has thus far refused to answer constituents angry over her vote.

“People in the county party have attempted to get a hold of Rep. Cheney through email, phone calls — and I think only one person got a response from a staffer and it was pretty short,” Correnti said. “We haven’t heard anything.”

The Wyoming Republican Party had already released a statement that slammed Cheney for voting in favor of impeachment.

“The wind in Wyoming has been horrendous today — with gusts up to 65 miles per hour,” the party said. “That is nothing compared to the whirlwind created by Representative Cheney’s announcement that she would be voting to impeach President Trump, and her subsequent follow-through of doing just that.”

“There has not been a time during our tenure when we have seen this type of an outcry from our fellow Republicans, with the anger and frustration being palpable in the comments we have received,” the statement added. “The consensus is clear that those who are reaching out to the Party vehemently disagree with Representative Cheney’s decision and actions.”

Pressure has been mounting for Cheney to resign, with House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Biggs (R-AZ) saying that she does not represent Republican ideals.

“The reality is, she’s not representing the conference, she’s not representing the Republican ideals,” Biggs told Fox News. “And I think that that’s a problem…I’m not alone in that sentiment.”

This piece was written by James Samson on January 19, 2021. It originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.

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McConnell, feeling the heat of GOP mega-donors, turns on Trump

Posted on January 19, 2021 by Kerry Eleveld

Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell, who just one year ago led the charge to acquit Donald Trump of impeachment charges, has been going through a head-spinning donor-inspired evolution over the last couple weeks since Trump incited violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

After more than five weeks of silently endorsing Trump's efforts to overturn the election results, McConnell has moved from accepting President-elect Joe Biden's win to getting to "maybe" on convicting Trump to publicly blaming Trump for the murderous rioters who stormed the Capitol.

"The mob was fed lies," McConnell said from the Senate floor Tuesday, as he prepares to hand off the Senate majority to Democrats. "They were provoked by the president and other powerful people," McConnell added, conveniently failing to define "other people," since the vast majority of GOP congressional lawmakers helped fuel the fire of outrage among Trump supporters. Nonetheless, McConnell’s comments are still by the far the furthest he has gone in trying to disentangle himself and his caucus from Trump. Among GOP congressional leadership, only Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, Republicans' No. 3 in the House, has gone further with her statement skewering Trump for lighting "the flame of the attack."

McConnell spent four solid years diligently avoiding leveling any direct criticism whatsoever at Trump, whether he was calling white supremacists "very fine people" or trying to steal a second election by extorting foreign officials. In fact, McConnell rallied his caucus to end the Senate trial last year without hearing from a single witness. In the process, McConnell and Senate Republicans taught Trump he would never suffer the consequences of his actions, no matter how abhorrent or harmful they were to American democracy.

But surprise, surprise—the mighty dollar is proving more powerful than opportunistic loyalty to a man now ending his term as the grossest, pettiest, and least liked American president in modern history. And Republican lawmakers are indeed facing a reckoning for building Trump into a monster and then fanning the flames of his bogus claims that the election was stolen from him. Not only are corporate donors pulling back from their widespread support of Sedition Party candidates, but other big-dollar donors are making their demands for a break with Trump perfectly clear. The New York Times reported over the weekend:

William E. Oberndorf, an influential Republican donor who gave $2.5 million to Mr. McConnell’s super PAC, the Senate Leadership Fund, in the 2020 election, said that donors should be closely watching the impeachment votes as they formulate their plans for giving. A longtime critic of Mr. Trump, Mr. Oberndorf said it had been a mistake for the party not to oust Mr. Trump during his first impeachment trial last year.

“They now have a chance to address this egregious mistake and make sure Donald Trump will never be able to run for public office again,” Mr. Oberndorf said. “Republican donors should be paying attention to how our elected officials vote on this matter.”

McConnell, who has never really liked Trump, may be legitimately angry over the violent mob Trump sicced on congressional lawmakers, Democrats and Republicans alike. But he's also sure gotten some monetary help in getting there. And given the choice between continuing to endear himself to Trump and securing the cash to help him win back the Senate majority? Sorry Trump, you lose.

In fact, McConnell doesn't even have the time to attend Trump's supposed celebratory send-off Wednesday morning at Andrews Air Force Base—he'll be attending Catholic mass with Joe Biden instead.

.@senatemajldr on the U.S. Capitol Attack: "The mob was fed lies. They were provoked by the president and other powerful people." pic.twitter.com/QIeviyHkl3
— CSPAN (@cspan) January 19, 2021

Rand Paul Issues Major Warning About Future Of GOP If Republicans Support Trump Impeachment

Posted on January 17, 2021 by LifeZette

Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) spoke out on Friday to issue a major warning to the GOP, advising what will happen if Republicans continue to support the impeachment of President Donald Trump.

Paul Issues Warning To Republicans

Paul told Fox News host Laura Ingraham that there will be a mass exodus from the Republican Party if enough Republican senators support impeachment to remove Trump from office.

“I don’t often get ask my advice from leadership how they should react. My unsolicited suggestion would be this: they will destroy the Republican Party if leadership is complicit with an impeachment or leadership votes for an impeachment, they will destroy the party,” Paul said, adding that the GOP could lose one-third of its party.

“Impeachment is purely a partisan thing. It’s for these moral, ‘Oh I’m so much better than you and you’re a bad person because I’m so moral’ — It’s for these kind of people to do this,” Paul explained.

“I didn’t agree with the fight that happened last week, and I voted against overturning the election,” he continued. “But at the same time, the impeachment is a wrongheaded, partisan notion. But if Republicans go along with it, it will destroy the party — a third of the Republicans will leave the party.”

“This isn’t anymore about the Electoral College. It’s about the future of the party and whether you’re going to ostracize and ex-communicate President Trump from the party,” the Republican said. “Well, guess what? Millions of his fans will leave as well.”

Liz Cheney Supports Effort To Impeach Trump

This comes after Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), the third-highest ranking Republican in the House, supported the left’s effort to impeach Trump.

“Much more will become clear in coming days and weeks, but what we know now is enough. The President of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack,” Cheney said.

“Everything that followed was his doing,” she added. “None of this would have happened without the President. The President could have immediately and forcefully intervened to stop the violence. He did not.”

This piece was written by James Samson on January 17, 2021. It originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.

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