On Friday, Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) became the first Republican senator to demand the removal of President Donald Trump from office over his role in promoting a violent uprising, suggesting she could join the party. left if he were to continue with the president.
“I want him out. He did enough damage, “Murkowski told the Anchorage Daily News in an interview with James Brooks. “But I’ll tell you, if the Republican Party has become nothing more than Trump’s party, I sincerely question whether it’s the party for me.”
Murkowski’s comments apparently opened up a possibility for the Democrats to tip a 50-50 split in the Senate to a one-seat advantage. Murkowski, however, downplayed the idea in comments to Alaska Public Media reporter Liz Ruskin when Ruskin asked if she would consider joining the emerging Democratic majority. “No. No. Absolutely, unequivocally,” she told Ruskin.
Lotta speculation about @lisamurkowski go Democrat.
I asked: Are you considering joining the Democratic majority?
Murkowski: “No. No. Absolutely, unequivocally not.”
– Liz Ruskin-AK Public Radio Reporter (@lruskin) 9 January 2021
The balance of power in the Senate will be split once Georgia’s two new Democratic senators – Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, who both won by – elections on Tuesday – are sworn in when their January 15 election results are certified. Senate Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will be the casting vote, giving Democrats control of the chamber.
Murkowski parties would have given Democrats a 51-49 majority, removing the need for Harris’ tiebreaker.
While some Republicans, like Senator Ben Sasse, have voiced more focused criticism of Trump – and some have even joined calls for his removal – many have shown support for him. After the storms of the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, 147 Republican lawmakers voted in support of Trump’s lie that there are irregularities that cast doubt on the results of the 2020 presidential election. And after Twitter permanently banned Trump on Friday, many of his most ardent GOP defenders, such as Sen Lindsey Graham, was quick to stand with him.
And it seems unlikely that Trump will leave office before the inauguration day on January 20. Vice President Mike Pence has reportedly chosen not to remove him with the 25th Amendment, and Trump has shown no plans to resign. The House of Representatives, which is controlled by Democrats, plans to begin the indictment as early as Monday. But a memo circulated to Republican senators Friday set out a delayed timeline for a possible trial, which will give House goods of accusation for the second time.
NEWS -> McConnell sends a memorandum to IDP senators setting out how an indictment would work if the House goes through. In essence, McConnell explains how an indictment would consume the first days of Biden’s presidency. Memo exclusively obtained by WaPo https://t.co/q2f2Quum1Z pic.twitter.com/SAkVVsqPvb
– Seung Min Kim (@seungminkim) 9 January 2021
In the memo, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell indicated that the Senate hearing could begin as early as January 21, when Trump is no longer president. It could go on anyway, but although Democrats will control the chamber at that point, it seems unlikely to succeed – 67 votes are needed to convict, and it’s unclear whether enough Republicans would be willing to vote against Trump.
In the event that the GOP does not succeed in distancing itself from Trump – whether during these proceedings or thereafter, he may lose one of his most moderate members, at least in name.
Given her reaction to Ruskin, the Alaska senator will most likely become an independent. But independent senators still prefer to talk to one of the two major parties, partly to be considered for committee assignments. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), for example, is an independent but is a caucus with Democrats, just like Angus King of Maine, which means they count towards the new Democratic majority and also receive instructions from the Senate Committee through Democratic leadership.
The specific wording of Ruskin’s question is important to understand Murkowski’s intention. The reporter asked if the senator would join the Democratic majority, which she could do as an independent, not if she would join the Democratic Party.
Murkowski’s response indicates that although she will call herself an independent, she will likely still speak to Republicans to retain her positions on Senate committees. She is currently chairing the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, a powerful mandate for a senator from a state dominated by oil and natural resources. If she goes independent without talking to either party, she will probably lose the assignment.
But whether or not she leaves the GOP, Murkowski will remain a key target for both parties in court over key issues such as health care and abortion.
Murkowski has long established herself as a moderate voice, generally unrestricted by Republican leadership. After losing the Republican primary for her own seat, she launched a successful registration campaign in 2010. Her victory showed that she did not need the Republican institution to win her seat, and gave her the freedom to work independently on several important issues, such as the Affordable Care Act in 2017 and her refusal to do so in 2018. vote to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett. Kavanaugh.