Senate Republicans are falling to pieces as Donald Trump circles the drain
Republicans are the masters of feigned outrage and taking offense. While the right calls the left snowflakes and accuses them of being sensitive, it is just another case of the pot calling the kettle black. The latest occurred during House manager Adam Schiff’s outstanding closing argument on Friday night. Toward the end, he stated:
“CBS News reported last night that a Trump confidant said that key senators were warned, ‘Vote against the president and your head will be on a pike.’ I don’t know if that’s true.” He then stated he hoped it was not and that he hoped the Republicans would show moral courage. Instead, they melted faster than the Wicked Witch of the West, with crocodile tears spilling all over the Senate floor.
Lisa Murkowski made the laughable claim: “I thought he was doing fine with [talking about] moral courage until he got to the ‘head on a pike.’ That’s where he lost me. He’s a good orator. … It was just unnecessary.” If one checks her record of votes, the purported moderate Republican has seldom if ever voted anything but the Trump and McConnell line. And if she was so on board before the “pike” comment, where was she when House managers urged amendments to the rules for the impeachment trial? Correct, she was nowhere to be found with any moral courage.
Senator Susan Collins also chimed in, stating: “Not only have I never heard the ‘head on the pike’ line but also I know of no Republican senator who has been threatened in any way by anyone in the administration.” Senator John Cornyn and others also expressed their feigned outrage at the way they were treated. They can cry their crocodile tears all they want to, but the fact remains that by protesting so much, they are proving the very thing that Schiff hoped was not true.
Daniel is a lawyer writing and teaching about SCOTUS, and is the author of the book “The Chief Justices” about the SCOTUS as seen through the center seat.