- A GOP senator who opposed both Trump’s accusations defended Liz Cheney and Lisa Murkowski.
- Both GOP lawmakers voted this year to accuse Trump by withdrawing their own party.
- Trump said last week that the IDP should “get rid” of lawmakers who voted to convict him.
- Visit the Insider Business Department for more stories.
A GOP senator who voted against condemning Trump after his accusations in 2020 and 2021 expressed his support for his colleagues who did so after the former president targeted them in a speech last week.
Trump said in a statement to Politico on Saturday that he would actively fight against Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who was one of seven GOP senators to vote to condemn Trump in his second Senate indictment.
“I will under no circumstances endorse the failed candidate from the great state of Alaska, Lisa Murkowski. She represents her state poorly and her country even worse,” Trump told the outlet.
But Murkowski’s colleague, Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming, said he supported her Sunday.
“I always want to make sure we nominate someone who can win in November,” Barrasso said in an interview with NBC News ‘Meet the Press’ on Sunday.
“Lisa Murkowski knows Alaska better than anyone, and she’s an incredible fighter for American energy. She has not yet made an announcement whether she will run again. If she does, I will support her,” he continued.
In his speech last week at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), Trump targeted Wyoming GOP Representative Liz Cheney, calling her a “warmonger” who “likes to see our troops fight.”
“Now, more than ever, it’s time for tough, strong and energetic Republican leaders who have steel rods,” Trump said during his first speech since leaving last week. “We can not have leaders who show more passion to condemn their fellow Americans than they have ever shown to stand up against Democrats, the media and the radical people who want to turn America into a socialist country.”
But Barrasso spoke on behalf of Cheney on Sunday, saying they were working closely together to fight Biden’s government.
“So I support her. I do not completely agree with her on the issue of accusation. She voted one way, I voted the other,” he said.
Cheney was condemned by the Wyoming GOP for her vote to accuse the former president of his role in inciting the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol that left five people dead. She was one of the 10 GOP members of the House who voted to accuse Trump.
Trump said during his CPAC speech that Republicans Cheney and the Republicans who did not support him during his latest indictment should “get rid”. The Senate did not convict Trump in February after all 50 Democrats and seven Republicans voted in favor, while 43 Republicans voted in favor.