Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader, told associates that he believes President Trump has committed impeccable transgressions and that he is pleased that the Democrats are going to accuse him and believes that, according to celebrities, it will make it easier for him to leave the party. to remove. with his thinking. The House voted Wednesday to formally charge Trump with inciting violence against the country.
At the same time, Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the minority leader and one of Mr. Trump’s most steadfast allies in Congress, other Republicans asked if he was Mr. Trump should appeal to resign in the wake of the riot at the Capitol last week, according to three Republican officials briefed on the talks.
While Mr. McCarthy said he was personally opposed to the accusation, he and other party leaders decided not to formally urge Republicans to vote “no”, and an assistant to Mr. McCarthy said he was open to a measure that Mr. his behavior. Mr. McCarthy reached out to a leading House Democrat in private to see if the House would be willing to follow a no-confidence vote, though Speaker Nancy Pelosi ruled it out.
The views of the two leading Republicans in Congress – who have neither publicly said Trump should resign or be blamed – reflect the political and fast-moving nature of the crisis facing the party following the assault. last week. by a pro-Trump crowd during a session around President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. to formalize their election victory.
As more violent images emerged Tuesday of the chaos the rioters inflicted, including the brutal attack that eventually killed a Capitol police officer, and when lawmakers were briefed on threats of more attacks on the Capitol, the Republican lawmakers grew. angry about the role of the president in the violence.
However, while trying to show the love their core voters have for Mr. Trump said, balancing with the political and constitutional threat he now faced, the Republican congressional leaders who had loyally supported the president for four years were still fine. Their refusal to demand the president’s resignation and silent conspiracy over how to address his behavior has the nagging uncertainty they and many other Republicans have about whether they would pay more of a political price to drop him , or to continue to enable him after storming a mob to storm the seat of government.
To make their task more difficult, Mr. Trump showed no remorse and told reporters on Tuesday that his remarks to supporters were “completely appropriate”, and that it was the appearance of his accusation that was causing a great deal of anger. ‘
Mr. McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky, has indicated he wants to see the specific indictment that the House will approve Wednesday, which is expected to garner support from as many as a dozen Republicans, possibly representing Representative Liz Cheney of Wyoming, the party’s number 3 in the House. But he has made it clear in private talks that he believes now is the time to move away from the weakened lamb duck, which he blames for letting the Republicans lose the Senate.
On Monday, Mr. Praying called Mr. McConnell to ask whether it is possible to draw up a double track that will allow the Senate to confirm the candidates of the cabinet and at the same time hold a hearing of the Senate, according to officials informed about the conversation that it made public on condition of anonymity. Mr. McConnell did not address the issue of the accusation of Mr. Trump does not avoid. This was a question for the Senate MP, and he gave a quick answer to Mr. Biden promised.
David Popp, a spokesman for Mr. McConnell, declining to comment and pointed to a reporter in a speech the senator gave off the floor after the attack on the Capitol.
“This failed attempt to impede Congress, this failed uprising, underscores just how important the task before us is for our Republic,” he said. McConnell said when the Senate reconvened Wednesday to complete the election that was disrupted by the siege. “Our people were founded precisely so that the free choice of the American people forms our self-government and determines the destiny of our people.”
In the days since the attack, Mr. McCarthy deviated from the Republican colleagues or he appealed to Mr. Trump would do to resign for privately floating accusation to his current stance, versus accusation but open to a censorship. He even approached Representative Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland, the majority leader, about a no-confidence vote, saying he could cast a large number of Republican votes for a formal reprimand if Democrats support the accusation.