Senate Republicans on Tuesday distanced themselves from President Donald Trump’s claim that former President Barack Obama committed “treason,” refusing to back up the unfounded allegation that has fueled the president’s revenge campaign against his predecessor.
In general, Republicans have shied away from directly criticizing the president’s comments and actions as the November election approaches. In fact, they have heeded Trump’s encouragement to undertake wide-ranging investigations targeting Obama administration officials for their roles in opening up the investigations that have ensnared Trump and his associates for years.
But accusing Obama of treason was a bridge too far, they said.
“I don’t think that President Obama committed treason,” said Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who is up for reelection this year.
“I don’t know what he’s talking about,” added Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). “I don’t have any evidence to believe he committed treason.”
Trump’s allies often claim the president was joking whenever he makes a controversial statement, even when Trump’s tone is serious and he repeats the claim several times. For example, Trump told a reporter on Tuesday that “I don’t kid” when asked whether he was serious when he said he had ordered a slowdown of coronavirus testing.
“It’s a silly, comedic thing, and you guys got to stop taking it all so seriously,” said Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), who laughed off the question. “I don’t think the former president committed treason.”
But not everyone is amused. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), one of Trump’s more vocal GOP critics, said that she did not see the president’s comments but that “obviously, he shouldn’t have said that.”
In an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network on Monday, Trump accused Obama of treason but did not provide evidence to back up the allegation. It’s a constant refrain from Trump, whose allies have ramped up their attacks against Obama in recent months — accusing the former president of illegally targeting Trump and his associates during the 2016 campaign and the presidential transition period.
Treason, the only crime specifically defined in the U.S. Constitution, is punishable by death and has rarely been charged in modern times. But Trump has a penchant for accusing his political foes of treason, most notably Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), the House Intelligence Committee chairman, who led the impeachment efforts against the president. While presidents often criticize their predecessors, it’s highly unusual for one president to accuse another of treason.
GOP senators avoided echoing those unfounded claims. While many of them are sympathetic to Trump’s concerns about the origins of the Russia investigation, for example, Republicans simply did not want to talk about it on Tuesday.
“I’ve got more important things to worry about,” Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said.
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), who is leading an investigation into the Obama administration’s activities during the presidential transition process in late 2016 and early 2017, similarly declined to endorse Trump’s “treason” charge.
“The president speaks for himself,” Johnson said. “I’m looking at the corruption with the transition process, which I think is evidently true. And we just need to figure out all that did happen so that the American people understand it, so hopefully it’ll never happen again. I’m not going to respond to what the president said.”
Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) described any treason allegation as “inflammatory,” but did not comment on Trump’s remarks, saying he had only heard about them.
The GOP’s resigned response to Trump’s comments also suggests a level of fatigue with being asked to answer for the latest tweet or controversial remark, while knowing that any semblance of criticism can prompt a fiery tweet from the president himself. Asked about a separate subject on Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell accused reporters of trying to get him into a food fight with Trump by asking him about the president’s controversial statements.
“Every week, you all try to get me into a running commentary on the president’s comments about a variety of different things,” McConnell (R-Ky.) said.
In the aftermath of his acquittal in the Senate’s impeachment trial, Trump has gone after his predecessor and other senior Obama administration officials as he seeks revenge for what he calls a “coup” against his campaign and presidency. Trump has said it began with the FBI’s counterintelligence investigation into possible ties between his presidential campaign and the Kremlin.
But Trump has not cited evidence for the claims, and a Justice Department inspector general’s report last year stated that the counterintelligence probe was properly opened in 2016. The same watchdog report documented a series of errors and omissions in the Justice Department’s applications for surveillance against a Trump campaign adviser, Carter Page, which the Senate Judiciary Committee is investigating in addition to the FBI’s handling of the investigation into Michael Flynn, the president’s former national security adviser.
“I don’t make accusations like that until I know more about the facts,” Graham said.
“I don’t have any evidence to believe [Obama] committed treason, but I do believe what happened after the election with surveilling General Flynn was very problematic and I’d like to know more about it,” Graham added.
Earlier this year, Trump pushed Graham to haul Obama before the committee to testify about his potential involvement in the initial investigations that targeted Trump’s campaign and his associates. But Graham quickly dismissed that idea, saying it would set a dangerous precedent.
“I understand President Trump’s frustration, but be careful what you wish for. Just be careful what you wish for,” Graham said at the time.
In his interview on Monday, the president also referenced the investigation being led by John Durham, the U.S. attorney in Connecticut, which focuses on the origins of the Russia probe and whether there is enough evidence to indict former Obama administration officials.
“I never met Durham because I want to stay out of it, because otherwise it’s going to look political,” Trump said. “Let’s see what they come up with — but they don’t have to tell me. All I have to do is read the papers.”
"claim" - Google News
June 24, 2020 at 03:51AM
https://ift.tt/3hSsAAt
Republican senators refuse to back Trump’s 'treason' claim against Obama - POLITICO
"claim" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2FrzzOU
https://ift.tt/2VZxqTS
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Republican senators refuse to back Trump’s 'treason' claim against Obama - POLITICO"
Post a Comment