MItch must hate what his party has become:
When Mitch McConnell, the Senate’s top Republican, voted to acquit former President Donald J. Trump during impeachment proceedings after the Capitol attack, he said in a Senate floor speech that former presidents were not immune from being held accountable by the criminal justice system and civil litigation.
And now that the criminal justice system is taking Mr. Trump to task — albeit over a different matter entirely — Mr. McConnell has remained silent.
Even as top House Republicans, including Speaker Kevin McCarthy, rushed to condemn the indictment of Mr. Trump in a hush-money case, Mr. McConnell has avoided weighing in. But while Mr. McConnell represents only a sliver of the party, he’s not alone.
John Thune, the Senate’s No. 2 Republican, whose criticism of G.O.P. attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election had drawn Mr. Trump’s ire, has also remained mum about the former president’s indictment.
Mr. Thune’s office did not provide a comment when reached on Friday, and a spokesman for Mr. McConnell did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Here are other high-profile Republicans who appear to be avoiding commenting on Mr. Trump’s prosecution:
The charges against Mr. Trump now, which have yet to be unsealed, center on payments that prosecutors say Mr. Trump funneled to Stormy Daniels, a porn star.
www.nytimes.com
When Mitch McConnell, the Senate’s top Republican, voted to acquit former President Donald J. Trump during impeachment proceedings after the Capitol attack, he said in a Senate floor speech that former presidents were not immune from being held accountable by the criminal justice system and civil litigation.
And now that the criminal justice system is taking Mr. Trump to task — albeit over a different matter entirely — Mr. McConnell has remained silent.
Even as top House Republicans, including Speaker Kevin McCarthy, rushed to condemn the indictment of Mr. Trump in a hush-money case, Mr. McConnell has avoided weighing in. But while Mr. McConnell represents only a sliver of the party, he’s not alone.
John Thune, the Senate’s No. 2 Republican, whose criticism of G.O.P. attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election had drawn Mr. Trump’s ire, has also remained mum about the former president’s indictment.
Mr. Thune’s office did not provide a comment when reached on Friday, and a spokesman for Mr. McConnell did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Here are other high-profile Republicans who appear to be avoiding commenting on Mr. Trump’s prosecution:
- Gov. Kristi Noem of South Dakota, an ally of the former president who has been discussed as a potential running mate for his 2024 White House run. A spokesman for Ms. Noem did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.
- Liz Cheney, one of Mr. Trump’s harshest critics in the Republican Party. The former Wyoming representative lost a primary last August to a Trump-backed challenger after voting to impeach Mr. Trump. A spokesman for Ms. Cheney said on Friday that she had no plans to comment about Mr. Trump’s impending arrest at this time.
- Chris Christie, the former New Jersey governor who is considering a 2024 run for president and recently vowed that he would never support Mr. Trump again. A spokesman for Mr. Christie highlighted a Fox News appearance by him before the indictment, during which Mr. Christie called the Manhattan district attorney’s investigation “partisan.” Mr. Christie is also set to appear on “This Week” on ABC on Sunday, the spokesman said.
- Gov. Chris Sununu of New Hampshire, who is also flirting with a presidential run, appears to be keeping mum as well. His office did not immediately respond to a message on Friday.
- Larry Hogan, another former G.O.P. governor who has criticized Mr. Trump in the past, also appeared to be abstaining. Mr. Hogan, from Maryland, announced this month that he would not run for president in 2024. A request for comment for Mr. Hogan was left on Friday with a representative for his super PAC.
The charges against Mr. Trump now, which have yet to be unsealed, center on payments that prosecutors say Mr. Trump funneled to Stormy Daniels, a porn star.
Live Updates: Trump Likely to Be Arraigned on Tuesday
The charges against Donald J. Trump will be formally unsealed when he is arraigned. He is the first former U.S. president to be a criminal defendant, and his indictment puts the legal and political systems in uncharted territory.
