Senate Republicans made it clear Tuesday that they aren’t fans of how President Trump lashed out at Attorney General Jeff Sessions over the long weekend, and said they even support the Justice Department’s move to prosecute two sitting Republicans.
“The president’s entitled to his opinion,” said Sen. John Kennedy, R-La. “So long as the Justice Department is consistent with its policy, and it has been from what I’m told… I’m okay with what the Justice Department did. You have to have a policy and you have to follow it consistently.”
Trump argued over the weekend that Sessions should have delayed indictments against Reps. Chris Collins, R-N.Y., and Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., since those moves will put even more pressure on Republicans in the midterm elections. Trump said Democrats must “love” how the indictments came just in time to create chaos at the polls, but Republicans said Trump’s public criticism is unwarranted.
“It upsets me,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said Tuesday. “The president’s tweet upsets me .. What the president does with his tweets yesterday or today — I’m looking at it just as you’re looking at it. I thought yesterday’s comments were not appropriate and I was upset by them.”
Despite the indictments, either one or both of the seats are still likely to remain in Republican control. Collins’ seat, which he is vacating, is one of the reddest in the U.S. and is rated “likely Republican” by Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball. Hunter’s re-election bid sits in the “lean Republican” territory. But the moves left Trump fuming.
“Two long running, Obama era, investigations of two very popular Republican Congressmen were brought to a well publicized charge, just ahead of the Mid-Terms, by the Jeff Sessions Justice Department. Two easy wins now in doubt because there is not enough time. Good job Jeff,” Trump said in his pair of Monday tweets. “The Democrats, none of whom voted for Jeff Sessions, must love him now.”
The deteriorated relationship between Trump and Sessions has made life difficult for Senate Republicans, many of whom are allies of both individuals, but have a close connection with Sessions in particular after his 20-year tenure in the upper chamber.
“I think he’s basically an honest man, a man of integrity. I wish he and the president had a better relationship, but it’s obvious they don’t,” said Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala. “It’s strained to say the least.”
Members continue to hold out hope the two can reconcile, but those hopes are not high. At this point, they just hope the public back-and-forth between the two parties calms down.
“This is unseemly,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. “It’s very uncomfortable for me. I don’t like this one bit.”
“I’ve done a lot of divorces before I got in this business,” Graham quipped, pointing to his previous life as a lawyer. “Most of them were better than this.”
