Inside McConnell and Murkowski’s battle over Trump’s impeachment

Tensions flared between Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and swing Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) during then-President Trump’s first impeachment trial in the Winter of 2020, according to an exclusively obtained excerpt from a new book.

New revelations about what McConnell did behind the scenes to help Trump during his first impeachment trial shows the minority leader was one of Trump’s most effective Senate allies before their dramatic falling out after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.  

They also show that while McConnell is now supporting Murkowski's re-election bid against a Trump-backed challenger, Kelly Tshibaka, just two years ago the two senators were at loggerheads over how to respond to questions about Trump's conduct and fitness for office.

The forthcoming book, “Unchecked: The Untold Story Behind Congress’s Botched Impeachments of Donald Trump,” reveals that McConnell leaned hard on Murkowski to vote against calling more witnesses at Trump’s impeachment trial on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.  

Murkowski at the time said publicly she “was disturbed” by McConnell’s pledge to work in “total coordination” with Trump’s legal team and “take my cues from the president’s lawyers.” 

Murkowski saw senators more as members of an impartial jury, not an extension of the defense team, and told a reporter in Alaska shortly before Christmas 2019 that McConnell had “further confused the process.”  

Murkowski’s criticism of McConnell started trending on Twitter. When she woke up the next morning after a late night of wrapping Christmas presents at her cabin outside of Anchorage, she found a “snarky” message from McConnell in her email inbox. 

It was “a missive that would zap all the holiday cheer out of her for two days. The leader was not happy with her comments. And he wanted to talk to her,” longtime Washington reporters Rachael Bade and Karoun Demirjian write in “Unchecked,” which will go on sale Oct. 18.  

McConnell later tried to mend fences with Murkowski, whom he knew would be a key Republican vote. If she defected, the charges against Trump would have posed a huge political liability for the president and his party heading into the 2020 election.  

After returning to Washington after the recess, McConnell summoned Murkowski to walk over to him on the Senate floor and told her: “You and I are on the same page.” 

He signaled he didn’t have lingering hard feelings by recalling how in the same interview in which Murkowski criticized him, she also criticized Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) for rushing the impeachment investigation.  

And he tried to defend his statement that he would coordinate closely with the White House legal team by arguing that Democrats had done the same thing during Bill Clinton’s 1999 impeachment trial. 

But it still was a sore subject for Murkowski.  

“Well don’t advertise it!” she had snapped back. 

Bade, the co-author of Politico Playbook, and Demirjian, a member of The Washington Post’s national security team, write that Murkowski also struggled with herself over how to handle the trial, and how to vote on the crucial question of allowing House Democratic prosecutors to call additional witnesses, which would have extended the trial for weeks or even months.

McConnell worked behind the scenes to persuade her not to defect and vote with Democrats.  

He knew he couldn’t bully her so he had to use the tactic he had deployed so effectively over his years as leader to convince wayward Republican colleagues to toe the party line.  

“McConnell never threatened. He never bullied. And though he often left her space to follow her own intuition, he was an expert at laying the guilt on thick and backing her into a corner,” the authors write.  

Murkowski was a critical player in the 2020 impeachment trial because she turned out to be the deciding swing vote on the question of calling more witnesses.

Unlike the vote on convicting the president and removing him from office, which requires two-thirds of the Senate — which was never a real possibility in January of 2020 — the procedural vote on calling more witnesses only needed a simple majority.  

Republicans controlled 53 seats, but moderate Sens. Susan Collins (R), who was up for re-election in Maine, a Democratic-leaning state, and Mitt Romney (R-Utah), an outspoken Trump critic, were expected to vote for additional witnesses. If Murkowski joined them, there would be a 50-50 tie on the question and it would have fallen to Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts to decide or punt on the crucial question.  

McConnell knew that Murkowski respected Roberts, who was presiding over the Senate trial, and exploited that to his full advantage. He warned that if she voted with Democrats to call witnesses, Roberts would be thrown into a political maelstrom along with other judges who would be forced to rule on Trump’s legal appeals. 

“The most consequential vote during this impeachment is not about whether to convict or acquit,” McConnell told Murkowski carefully, according to the book. “It’s about how to vote on witnesses—and what position that will put the courts in.” 

He told Murkowski that it would be up to her to protect the integrity of the judicial branch and stop what he viewed as a politically motivated impeachment trial from damaging the federal judiciary’s reputation as standing above politics.  

“If you don’t want to do this for the presidency, if you don’t want to do it for the Senate, if you don’t want to do this for 2020 colleagues, do it to save the courts,” he said.  

This and other anecdotes in “Unchecked” are gathered from interviews the authors conducted with the key players in Trump’s impeachment trial. The sources were granted anonymity to protect them from political and personal recriminations.  

Though Murkowski was torn over the question of witnesses, she felt sure that Trump had acted improperly by using his power as president to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to dig up dirt on then-former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter on a July phone call.

Yet the Alaska senator thought House Democrats had rushed the impeachment investigation and had dumped an incomplete case in senators’ laps, asking them to finish their work by taking on the burden of fact finding.  

Murkowski wondered why the House had not handled the case with more care and concern. She thought that Democrats were just as guilty of playing politics as her Senate Republican colleagues who reflexively circled around Trump to defend him, even though his conduct raised serious ethical and legal questions.  

“Republican leaders, much to her frustration, were constantly telling their rank and file: ‘You gotta circle. You gotta circle together and protect one another here’ — which meant, of course, circling to protect Trump. Just like musk ox, Murkowski thought,” imagining the hulking creatures, who circle around their young with their horns turned out and their rears tucked in during times of danger, according to “Unchecked.” 

She ultimately decided the House impeachment investigation and Senate trial were flawed, but she felt there wasn’t anything she could do to rectify the situation or alter the outcome that Trump would be acquitted on the final vote.  

She and then-Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), the other Republican swing vote, ultimately decided they would not support calling new witnesses, putting the trial on the path for a speedy conclusion and giving McConnell the political win he wanted.  

As Murkowski deliberated over what to do, she concluded: “Republicans were too afraid to actually check this president, and Democrats didn’t really care about putting him away—just about getting impeachment over with and using it to do maximum damage to the GOP in the 2020 election.”

“Because of that, she thought sourly, Trump would get away with everything. And she had no choice but to be complicit,” the authors write.

Report: George W. Bush Donating To Republicans Who Voted To Impeach Trump

George W. Bush made donations to two Republican congresswomen who voted to impeach Donald Trump over the January 6 riot at the Capitol.

The revelation comes via Politico, which reports that maximum allowable amounts were donated by Bush to Representative Liz Cheney (R-WY) and Senator Lisa Murkowski’s (R-AK) re-election campaigns late last year.

The outlet reports that while Bush has donated in the past to numerous Republican candidates, the $5,800 to Cheney and $2,900 to Murkowski appear to be his “first donations of 2021” and “are significant in their symbolism.”

Cheney and Murkowski are both facing primary challengers endorsed by former President Trump after they voted in favor of a second impeachment for his alleged role in inciting the Capitol riot.

RELATED: George W. Bush To Headline Fundraiser For NeverTrumper Liz Cheney

Bush Vs. Trump

Liz Cheney is the daughter of Bush’s vice president, Dick Cheney, and as such, it may not come as much of a surprise that the former President donated to her campaign.

That said, FEC records show his contribution to Murkowski, long considered a more liberal Republican, marks the first of its kind.

Trump endorsed Republican Kelly Tshibaka in the Alaska Republican primary against Murkowski, but also curiously lent support to Harriet Hageman, the Wyoming attorney running against Cheney.

Hageman tried to stop Trump from getting the Republican nomination in 2016, and called him “racist and xenophobic.”

RELATED: Trump Slams George W. Bush And His ‘Flunky’ Karl Rove For Holding Liz Cheney Fundraiser

Headlines Cheney Fundraiser

Bush appeared at a fundraiser for Liz Cheney back in October, despite her only current platform being constant opposition and criticism of Donald Trump.

Along with the former President, attendees reportedly included former Bush advisors Karl Rove and Karen Hughes, and also former U.S. ambassador to NATO and Texas Senator, Kay Bailey Hutchison.

Trump ripped Bush and Rove in a statement upon learning of the fundraiser.

“RINO former President George ‘Dubya’ Bush and his flunky Karl Rove are endorsing warmongering and very low polling, Liz Cheney,” the statement read.

Trump went on to say Bush’s ‘stupid’ actions in the Middle East resulted in decades-long wars with no clear objective and astronomical costs.

“Bush is the one who got us into the quicksand of the Middle East and, after spending trillions of dollars and killing nearly a million people, the Middle East was left in worse shape after 21 years than it was when he started his stupidity,” he said.

His foreign policy blunders culminated in a disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan under the purview of President Biden in August.

Cheney has been a source of irritation for conservatives and supporters of Trump, preening for Democrats as a savior of the republic following the Capitol riot on January 6th.

“President Bush is impressed by Liz Cheney’s strength and vision, and he’s proud to support her,” a spokesman for Bush told CNBC in September.

The former President has also echoed Cheney in expressing outrage over the January 6th riot.

“It did make me sick. I felt ill. And I just couldn’t believe it,” Bush said. “What’s really troubling is how much misinformation there is and the capacity of people to spread all kinds of untruth.”

He even seemed to equate Trump supporters at the Capitol to Islamic extremists who carried out 9/11 – on the 20th anniversary of the attacks that took place when he was President.

“There is little cultural overlap between violent extremists abroad and violent extremists at home,” Bush said.

“But in their disdain for pluralism, in their disregard for human life, in their determination to defile national symbols, they are children of the same foul spirit.”

Bush, aside from supporting Never Trump Republicans, has said he would like to see a presidential candidate for the GOP in 2024 with pro-gun control and pro-amnesty views.

“Bush remained hopeful that a more moderate Republican — one who supported reasonable gun reform measures, increased public school funding and a path to citizenship for undocumented workers … could succeed in the party’s 2024 presidential primary,” Politico reported.

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Sarah Palin For Senate? She Says ‘If God Wants Me To’ She’ll Challenge Murkowski For Alaska Senate Seat

One-time Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin told a conservative Christian group that she’d consider running for a Senate seat in Alaska “if God wants me to.”

Palin, the former Governor of Alaska, made the comments in an appearance at the Leading with Conviction Conference in Pasadena, California, last month.

The conservative politician expressed interest in taking on Senator Lisa Murkowski, a Republican who voted to convict former President Donald Trump during his second impeachment trial.

“If God wants me to do it I will,” Palin said after New Apostolic Reformation leader Ché Ahn asked her if she was planning on running for the Senate seat.

RELATED: Sheila Jackson Lee Becomes Third Democrat Arrested By Capitol Police After ‘Voting Rights’ Protest

Sarah Palin For Senate?

Sarah Palin warned the audience that conservatives and Republicans would need to have her back if she ran for Murkowski’s Senate seat.

“What I would do if I were to announce is say you know what, you guys better be there for me this time because a lot of people weren’t there for me last time and that’s why characterization-wise, I got clobbered,” she continued.

Palin went on to accuse former President Barack Obama and his administration of sending in “flying monkeys” to destroy her career.

The former governor said she was inundated with ethics probes, FOIA requests, and media criticism that she simply couldn’t continue battling while effectively running the state.

“The Obama administration sent their flying monkeys,” she claimed, suggesting “it stalled our administration.”

The harassment, she suggested, ultimately led her to resign. Still, she refused to concede that she had quit.

“Every e-mail, every conversation was scrutinized,” said Palin. “So, there’s a difference between quitting and saying enough is enough.”

RELATED: Sarah Palin Calls McCain Out For Lying About Choosing Her As Vice President in 2008

Murkowski Already Facing Primary Opponent

Sarah Palin isn’t the only conservative who would replace Murkowski.

Kelly Tshibaka released an ad a little over a month ago portraying herself as an outsider looking to upset the establishment. The ad featured some very Trump-like themes.

“I’m a conservative, pro-life, pro-second amendment,” she states. “And America first, always.”

Tshibaka, as Alaska’s News Source reports, is “closely aligned politically with former President Donald Trump.”

She has also reportedly hired several advisers with ties to the former President to help her campaign to defeat Murkowski.

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Palin spoke of Tshibaka and had some reservations about the name recognition factor when it comes to defeating the incumbent.

“Kind of the scary thing about it is I’ve been in politics seems like all my life in Alaska and I never heard of her so that kind of made me hesitant,” Palin worried.

The former running mate of John McCain, for better or worse, certainly has the name recognition to generate interest in a Senate campaign.

Trump and Palin have shared conservative values but also a shared disdain for both Murkowski and the late Senator McCain.

Trump has already endorsed Tshibaka, though it has more to do with Murkowski’s failure to advance the Republican agenda and do what is right for Alaska than anything else.

“Lisa Murkowski is bad for Alaska,” he said in a statement. “Murkowski has got to go!”

Would he possibly shift his endorsement should Palin jump into the race?

Murkoski famously joined McCain and Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) in abandoning their party and helping to keep the Affordable Care Act alive.

She more recently had a role in voting to confirm appointees for President Biden who have aided the revocation of ANWR drilling permits, a potentially devastating move for Alaska’s economy.

 

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Murkowski Challenger Kelly Tshibaka Is Endorsed By Alaska Republican Party

On Saturday, the Republican Party of Alaska officially endorsed Kelly Tshibaka in her primary challenge against long-time incumbent Sen. Lisa Murkowski. 

Murkowski has been a frequent critic of former President Donald Trump and voted to convict him on his second impeachment of inciting the January 6 attack on the Capitol.

Trump endorsed Tshibaka in June.

Local party branches typically support the incumbent, or at the most, stay out of primaries. It’s big news when a state party actually endorses an intra-party primary challenger.

RELATED: Lincoln Project Co-Founder Says January 6 Riot ‘Likely To Kill A Lot More Americans’ Than 9/11

Murkowski’s Favorable Ratings Plummet 

Tshibaka said in a statement, “I am grateful and thrilled to have the strong support of the Alaska Republican Party, which voted overwhelmingly to endorse my candidacy for the U.S. Senate.” 

“We all share a unified goal: to promote the principles upon which our country and state were founded. I have pledged that I will be true to our shared, conservative Alaska ideals and be a senator upon whom they can depend to make every decision based on what is best for our great state,” she said.  

“We need a senator who will stand with Alaskans and not cozy up to the Washington, D.C. insiders, a senator who has earned the trust of the people and strives to keep it every day,” Tshibaka continued, obviously referring to Murkowski.

“It is time for conservative leaders, with courage and common sense, to rise together across the nation,” the GOP primary challenger added. “I am honored to be endorsed as that candidate for Alaska.”

In the past Tshibaka has called Murkowski a “traitor” and has described her as someone who “sucks up to CNN” and the “radical Biden administration.”

In June, Murkowski saw her favorable rating among Republicans sink to a jaw dropping 6 percent.

Tshibaka Claims Murkowski Has Not Pursued A Conservative Agenda

Tshibaka said of Murkowski to Breitbart News on Saturday, “She’s been voting with them, hurting our way of life, and she’s not standing up to the radical Biden administration while they kill our oil and gas jobs.”

Tshibaka then gave a few examples of where she thought Murkowski had voted with Democrats more than her own party.

“She’s voted to allow illegal immigrants to come into our country,” Tshibaka accused Mrkowski. “Even if they commit crime, they can stay here.”

RELATED: Far-Left Democrats Pressuring Pelosi And Biden For Trillions More In Spending

Tshibaka: ‘We Are Absolutely Fed Up With Lisa Murkowski’

“She was the deciding vote to keep Obamacare and that means higher health care costs and fewer healthcare choices for us in Alaska,” she continued, adding that they have “some of the highest health care costs in the country.”

Tshibaka added, “She votes against common-sense judges that keep and protect our Second Amendment rights.”

“So, for all of those reasons, we are absolutely fed up with Lisa Murkowski,” Tshibaka thundered.  

With the endorsement of the state GOP and President Trump working against her, Murkowski has a steeply uphill battle for re-election.

 

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Pro-Trump Republican Challenging Lisa Murkowski Releases First Ad: ‘America First, Always’

Kelly Tshibaka, a pro-Trump conservative challenging Senator Lisa Murkowski in Alaska, has released her first ad.

Murkowski, a Republican, voted to convict Trump during his second impeachment trial.

While the ad avoids making any negative commentary about her opponent, Tshibaka does sprinkle in some clearly Trumpian elements to her message.

“I’m a conservative, pro-life, pro-second amendment,” she confidently states. “And America first, always.”

Tshibaka also positions herself as an outsider running against an establishment Republican.

“The insiders don’t like me because I spent my career exposing taxpayer fraud and abuse,” she tells potential voters. “That’s okay, I’m not running for them, I am running for you.”

Tshibaka most recently served as Alaska commissioner of administration, a position from which she stepped down to announce her campaign to unseat Lisa Murkowski.

RELATED: Report: 9 Of The 10 Republicans Who Voted To Impeach Trump Facing Primary Challengers

Pro-Trump Kelly Tshibaka Ready To Take On Murkowski

While the new ad by Kelly Tshibaka doesn’t delve into any specific messages contrasting herself with Senator Lisa Murkowski, she is, as Alaska’s News Source reports, “closely aligned politically with former President Donald Trump.”

Tshibaka has defined herself as a “new generation” of Alaska conservatives and chastised Murkowski for siding with Democrats in the impeachment trial, voting to convict Trump for the charge of incitement of insurrection related to the Capitol protest.

“President Trump has been great for Alaska, and we need to remember that in both elections Alaska selected President Trump as our president,” Tshibaka told the outlet.

“I don’t think it helps Alaska when our senator goes against and picks a fight with a president who’s benefiting our state.”

Tshibaka has also reportedly hired several advisers with ties to the former President to help her with a campaign to defeat Murkowski.

“Former Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien, deputy campaign manager Justin Clark and battleground states director Nick Trainer … will serve as Tshibaka’s senior advisers,” Politico reveals.

She also brought on Tim Murtaugh, who was communications director on Trump’s reelection effort.

RELATED: Here Are the 6 Republicans Who Voted That Trump’s Impeachment Trial Is Constitutional

Trump: I’ll be There To Campaign Against Murkowski

Donald Trump has yet to endorse anybody against Lisa Murkowski though Politico notes he is “on the hunt for a credible Murkowski opponent on the senator’s right flank.”

Trump has repeatedly bashed Murkowski not only for her impeachment vote but for consistently standing alongside Senator Susan Collins and the late John McCain in obstructing a conservative agenda.

He recently knocked Murkowski for her role in voting to confirm appointees for President Biden who have, he states, led to the revocation of ANWR drilling permits.

“Not only did Murkowski kill the biggest economic stimulant for the State, but also one of the biggest energy-producing sites in the world,” he criticized.

“She’s the best friend Washington Democrats ever had—and Alaska’s reward for that betrayal is an empowered Left coming after their wealth and jobs,” he added.

“I think she will be met very harshly by the Alaska voters in 15 months, and I will be there to campaign against her!”

“We can’t let the Radical Left destroy Alaska’s Energy Industry with their Socialist job-killing agenda,” Tshibaka recently tweeted.

“If Liberal Lisa Murkowski won’t protect us, I will!” she added.

 

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Report: Trump Plans To Resume MAGA Rallies

According to a report from CNN, former President Trump has been discussing the possibility of bringing back the Make America Great Again rallies that were so popular during his campaigns and president.

The report noted that Trump wants to remain a part of the political conversation despite no longer being president or having the ability to use Twitter, where he has been permanently banned. 

RELATED: Poll: 51% Have Unfavorable Impression Of Kamala Harris, Large Number Say ‘Not Qualified’ To Be President

Massive MAGA Rallies Were A Staple Of The Trump Years

Future rallies would reportedly be in support of Trump-endorsed candidates who are challenging sitting Republicans who voted to impeach Trump over the January 6 Capitol protests.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska is one of seven Republican senators who has criticized Trump and voted convict him in his second impeachment trial.

Even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Trump held massive MAGA rallies throughout 2020. The rallies ended when Trump lost the general presidential election to Joe Biden. 

Trump Aide: ‘It Will Definitely Be Different In Terms Of The Setup’

A Trump aide told CNN of the planned rallies, “It will definitely be different in terms of the setup, but we got really good at planning these events in 2020, so we will probably use a lot of those same vendors again.”

Since Trump was banned from Twitter, he has been communicating through statements from his office, particularly speaking out against Republicans who have criticized him.

On Tuesday, Trump’s office released a statement calling Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney a “warmongering fool” after she said she had not running for president herself in 2024.

RELATED: Hawley Mocks Liz Cheney For Possible Presidential Run: She Has ‘No Support In Her Own Caucus’

New Trump Rallies Could Begin As Early As May

“Liz Cheney is polling sooo low in Wyoming, and has sooo little support, even from the Wyoming Republican Party, that she is looking for a way out of her Congressional race,” Trump said in a statement.

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Cheney is another sitting Republican who has received a GOP primary challenger due to her approach to Trump.

According to Trump aides via CNN, these rallies could begin in May.

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McConnell Vs. Trump! Warring Wings Of GOP May Face Off In Alaska Senate Race

The Senate Leadership Fund (SLF) announced on Friday that it will support Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) in her re-election campaign.

The group is aligned with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who has said that he will “Absolutely” support Murkowski’s re-election bid.

Murkowski, often described as a moderate Republican, voted to convict former President Donald Trump during his second impeachment trial in January.

After her vote, the Alaska Republican Party voted to censure Murkowski for her conviction vote.

They also said that they would recruit a Republican challenger – which could set up a head-to-head matchup between the establishment wing of the GOP and Trumpworld.

RELATED: Republicans Release Video Of Migrants Caught Crossing The Border Right Behind Them

Race Will Be Portrayed As Experience Vs. Outsider

The 2022 midterm elections may come down to a simple matter of who decides the future direction of the Republican Party.

The McConnell-backed SLF had a war chest last election cycle of $475 million will now throw it’s weight behind not just Murkowski, but could also back a number of establishment incumbents like her.

SLF President Steven Law said, “Alaska needs the kind of experienced representation that Lisa Murkowski provides in the United States Senate. Whether fighting for Alaskan interests like expanding energy production and protecting fisheries, or advancing conservative priorities by confirming judges and cutting taxes, her strong leadership is vitally important to Alaska’s future.” 

In response to the SLF statement, Mary Ann Pruitt, advisor to Kelly Tshibaka – who is running against Murkowski in the GOP primary – released a statement saying, “It’s just like D.C. insiders to ignore the voices of Alaska voters to protect one of their own.”

Kelly Tshibaka is positioning herself as an outsider, saying in a video of her intent to run that Murkowski was “so out of touch” for voting to convict Trump after he had already left office.

Prior to her current run for Senate, Tshibaka has worked in the office of inspector general for the U.S. Postal service, Federal Trade Commission, and Department of Justice.

She resigned her position in Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy’s administration to concentrate on her run for the Senate. 

RELATED: Kathy Barnette Is Fighting To Become The First Black Female Republican U.S. Senator

Republicans Picking Sides

Within the Republican Party, it is starting to look like a matter of picking sides. That began to be apparent during the waning days of the Trump administration.

A new breed of Trump-supporting, outspoken Republican Congress members like Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene and Colorado Congresswoman Lauren Boebert came along.

Opposite that Trump wing stand establishment Republicans like Rep. Liz Cheney and McConnell.

From almost right after his second impeachment trial, Trump has had an eye on supporting any primary challenger of several members of Congress who had voted to impeach him.

It was thought that, should any of those Congress members received a primary challenge, Trump supporters would be fired up enough to support the challengers as well. 

Cheney garnered a primary challenge almost immediately following her impeachment vote. Several others have as well. Nearly every Republican Senator who had voted to convict Trump was censured by their local party. 

RELATED: Report: Biden Creating Commission To Study Court-Packing

Establishment GOP Should Know Trump Is Ready And Waiting For 2022

Donald Trump is already in position to endorse candidates and be a major player in the 2022 midterm election.

His new Save America PAC has, in the words of those in the know, ‘gargantuan’ amounts of cash. 

He has already began endorsing candidates, including Sens. Tim Scott (R-SC), John Kennedy (R-LA), Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC), South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster (R), and former White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders in her run for Governor of Arkansas.

Trump most recently endorsed Alabama Congressman Mo Brooks in his bid for the Senate, and America First Senator Rand Paul.

No word yet if Trump will be traveling to Alaska to give out an endorsement to Kelly Tshibaka. However, both wings of the party seem to be flush with cash, and 2022 could prove to be an interesting year.

 

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Lisa Murkowski Censured By Alaska GOP After Turning On Trump – Primary Challenger To Be Recruited

Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) has just been censured by the Alaska Republican Party after she voted to impeach former President Donald Trump last month.

Murkowski Gets Bad News

The Alaska GOP also announced plans to “recruit” a primary challenger if Murkowski runs for reelection, but the Republican National Committee (RNC) and the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) won’t be helping them if they follow through with this.

National party chair Ronna McDaniel had told Fox News back in January that “the RNC stays neutral in primaries for a very good reason. Because somebody has to be there to pick up the pieces of difficult primaries and help bring the party back together.” 

After Murkowski was censured, a RNC official doubled down in saying that the party committee remains neutral in Republican primaries.

Related: Manchin and Murkowski Solid for President in Senate Impeachment Vote

Murkowski Censured By Alaska Republican Party

On Saturday, the Alaska Republican Party passed a resolution that officially censured Murkowski for her impeachment trial vote, as well as multiple other votes that Alaskan Republicans were angry about.

The resolution stated that these other votes included her opposition to repealing the Affordable Care Act, better known as ObamaCare, voting “present” rather than in support of the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and her support for the confirmation of Rep. Deb Haaland as interior secretary earlier this month.

The resolution added that Murkowski has “repeatedly spoken critically of President Trump throughout his term in office” and that “the Alaska Republican Party hereby separates itself from Sen. Murkowski’s conviction vote of President Trump.”

It then said that “the party hereby will recruit a Republican primary challenger to oppose and prohibit Sen. Murkowski from being a candidate in any Republican primary to the extent legally permissible.”

Trump To Campaign Against Murkowski

This comes days after Trump pledged to campaign against Murkowski next year if she decides to run.

“She represents her state badly and her country even worse. I do not know where other people will be next year, but I know where I will be – in Alaska campaigning against a disloyal and very bad senator,” Trump said.

Related: Trump Pledges That He Will Campaign Against Lisa Murkowski In 2022

This piece was written by James Samson on March 16, 2021. It originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.

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Trump Pledges That He Will Campaign Against Lisa Murkowski In 2022

Former President Donald Trump spoke out on Saturday to vow that he will campaign against Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) when she is up for re-election in 2022.

Trump Pledges To Campaign Against Murkowski

“I will not be endorsing, under any circumstances, the failed candidate from the great State of Alaska, Lisa Murkowski,” Trump said in a statement obtained by Politico.

“She represents her state badly and her country even worse,” he added. “I do not know where other people will be next year, but I know where I will be — in Alaska campaigning against a disloyal and very bad Senator.”

“Her vote to advance radical left Democrat Deb Haaland for Secretary of the Interior is yet another example of Murkowski not standing up for Alaska,” Trump continued, referring to the fact that Murkowski voted to confirm Joe Biden’s Interior Secretary nominee.

Murkowski was one of the seven Republican senators who voted to impeach Trump in his second impeachment trial last month.

Related: Manchin and Murkowski Solid for President in Senate Impeachment Vote

John Barrasso Stands By Murkowski 

After Trump pledged to campaign against Murkowski, Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) spoke out to support her, according to Newsweek.

“In terms of Alaska, I want to always make sure we nominate somebody who can win in November,” Barrasso said.

“Lisa Murkowski knows Alaska better than anybody. And she’s an incredible fighter for American energy,” he added. “She hasn’t made an announcement of if she’s even going to run again. If she does, I’m going to support her.”

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell also said that he will “absolutely” support Murkowski, despite what Trump had to say.

Related: Romney Says He’s ‘Very Likely’ to Join Democrats on Call For New Impeachment Witnesses

Murkowski Turns On Trump

Murkowski was quick to turn on Trump after the Capitol riots back in January.

“On the day of the riots, President Trump’s words incited violence, which led to the injury and deaths of Americans — including a Capitol Police officer — the desecration of the Capitol, and briefly interfered with the government’s ability to ensure a peaceful transfer of power,” Murkowski said at the time.

“Such unlawful actions cannot go without consequence and the House has responded swiftly, and I believe, appropriately, with impeachment,” she added. 

This piece was written by James Samson on March 7, 2021. It originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.

Read more at LifeZette:
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Carville Outrageously Claims Republicans Think God Wants ‘Wealthy White People To Be First In Line To Get The Vaccine’
GOP Sen. Kennedy Blasts Biden’s COVID Bill – Says Only Way To Improve It ‘Is With A Shredder

The post Trump Pledges That He Will Campaign Against Lisa Murkowski In 2022 appeared first on The Political Insider.

Nearly Every Senator Who Voted To Convict Trump Faces Censure Or Has Been Censured

As of today, nearly every Republican Senator who voted to convict former President Donald Trump in his impeachment conviction trial has either been censured by their Republican voters or faces censure in the near future.

On Saturday, the U.S. Senate voted to acquit Trump on the charge that he incited the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill riot. The 57-43 vote to convict failed to reach the two-thirds majority required in the upper chamber.

Joining all fifty Democrat Senators who voted to convict were seven GOP Senators:

  • Susan Collins of Maine
  • Mitt Romney of Utah
  • Bill Cassidy of Louisiana
  • Richard Burr of North Carolina
  • Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania
  • Ben Sasse of Nebraska, and
  • Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.

All have either been censured or are facing censure at home by at least one county Republican committee, save for Murkowski, who is up for re-election in 2022, so far.

RELATED: Dem Congressman Files Lawsuit Against Trump For His Alleged Role In Capitol Hill Riot

Republicans Making Their Feelings Known

The seven Senators who voted to convict join several of their colleagues in the House who also are facing not just unhappy voters at home, but in some cases, already have primary challengers in 2022 for their votes to impeach.

One of the most high profile House members to face backlash which includes a primary challenger is Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY). Cheney was also called out by fellow Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-FL) , who went to Wyoming to support constituents who want to replace her in Congress.

In the House, in addition to Cheney, South Carolina Rep. Tom Rice was also censured at home.

Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) has not only taken heat at home from constituents for his vote to impeach, but several members of his own family have called him an ’embarrassment.’

RELATED: Donald Trump Surprises Supporters By Showing Up At Presidents’ Day Rally In Palm Beach

Pro-Impeachment Senators All Facing Backlash

According to a report from Vox, the Republican Parties of Louisiana and North Carolina wasted no time in blasting Bill Cassidy and Richard Burr, respectively. 

“The Executive Committee of the Republican Party of Louisiana has unanimously voted to censure Senator Bill Cassidy for his vote cast earlier today to convict former President Donald J. Trump on the impeachment charge.”

The feeling in North Carolina was essentially the same. In a statement issued by NCGOP Chair Michael Whatley, he stated that Burr’s vote was “shocking and disappointing.”

“North Carolina Republicans sent Senator Burr to the United States Senate to uphold the Constitution and his vote today to convict in a trial that he declared unconstitutional is shocking and disappointing.” 

Burr and Senator Pat Toomey have already announced that neither would be seeking re-election, which perhaps might have given both the feeling of having a bit of wiggle room when it came to pleasing or displeasing constituents.

Washington County Pennsylvania Republican Party Chairman Dave Ball stated of Toomey that “As far as we’re concerned, his political career is over in this state, even if he were to try to run again. His legacy is tarnished beyond repair.”

Sasse was censured by his fellow Nebraska Republicans for what they cited as “dismissing the legitimate concerns of Nebraska’s Secretary of State, and a huge majority of Republican voters regarding allegations of fraud in November’s presidential election.”

In response, Sasse released a rather condescending video to Nebraska Republicans explaining to them what was “conservative” and what was not.

In Maine, censure resolutions are being considered.

In Utah, Republican voters are circulating a petition online calling to censure Mitt Romney, though that state GOP has defended ‘diversity of thought.’

RELATED: Robert DeNiro’s Ultra-Luxury Restaurants Took Millions In COVID -19 Relief Money

Will Voters Hold Them Accountable At The Ballot?

There are several things that might make Senators taking heat for their conviction vote interesting.

Of these seven, only Lisa Murkowski of Alaska is up for re-election. Burr and Toomey are retiring, and Romney is in the middle of his first term.

The rest were all just re-elected. 

Another interesting factor is  two Senators who have not been censured by their own voters – the two Republicans who challenged the electoral college votes.

Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Josh Hawley (R-MO) were blamed by Democrat Senators for the riot and there were calls by many for both to resign or be expelled

And in what might the most intriguing aspect of the “Gang of 7,” is that in the wake of Burr’s retirement announcement, there will be a vacancy in one of North Carolina’s Senate seats.

Former Representative Mark Walker has thrown his hat into the ring for 2022, but another name is floating around, that of Lara Trump.

The North Carolina native and wife of Eric Trump recently got a huge boost from Lindsey Graham, who described her as the “biggest winner of the impeachment trial.”

As Americans get more and more tired of sending people to Washington who do not reflect their wishes, the Gang of 7 and those like them may just be the last of a dying breed. 

The post Nearly Every Senator Who Voted To Convict Trump Faces Censure Or Has Been Censured appeared first on The Political Insider.