Republican strategist Mike Murphy said that he was told by a Republican Senator that 30 Republican Senators would vote to convict Trump on impeachment if the vote was secret.
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Murphy said on MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell Reports, “These Senate Republicans, should the Democrats vote impeachment which is far more likely than not, are going to be pinned down to a yes/no answer. If they provide cover to Donald Trump for this, a clear violation of his role as president, we’re going to lose Colorado with Cory Gardner, we’re going to lose Maine with Susan Collins, we’re going to lose Arizona with McSally and the Democrats will put the senate very much in play. The politics of it will get worse and worse for Trump. Maybe that will motivate him going forward. Romney’s right, more facts. One Republican senator told me if it was a secret vote, 30 Republican senators would vote to impeach Trump.”
Mike Murphy also noted that the Ukraine scandal has changed the political conventional wisdom on impeachment. It was formerly believed that Trump impeachment would help Republicans, but the Ukraine case is so easy to understand and cut and dry that if Republicans give Trump cover on this, it could cost them their seats.
Video of Murphy:
Republican strategist Mike Murphy said that there are 30 Senate Republicans who would vote to convict Trump if the vote was secret. pic.twitter.com/AhtNSX1Zbz
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) September 25, 2019
A lack of courage on the part of Senate Republicans is the only thing that is keeping Donald Trump in office. If Republicans had any guts at all, they would stand up to Trump and vote to convict him. The fact that Republican support is so shallow for Trump does bring up an interesting question. What if impeachment doesn’t reach the Senate until after the ballots have been printed for the 2020 general election. If Senate Republicans know that they can’t be primaried would any of them vote to convict Trump?
The answer is likely no because Trump’s hold on the Republican base is so strong that Senate Republicans will be worried about losing the general election if they cross him.
If Senate Republicans save Trump, they might be dooming themselves in 2020.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
