{"id":1989546,"date":"2023-08-03T10:53:02","date_gmt":"2023-08-03T14:53:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-trump-indictment-could-affect-three-possible-mcconnell-successors\/"},"modified":"2023-08-03T10:54:47","modified_gmt":"2023-08-03T14:54:47","slug":"how-trump-indictment-could-affect-three-possible-mcconnell-successors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-trump-indictment-could-affect-three-possible-mcconnell-successors\/","title":{"rendered":"Impact of Trump Indictment on McConnell Successors"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fhow-trump-indictment-could-affect-three-possible-mcconnell-successors%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1989546&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Top \u200dRepublican Lawmakers\u200c Face a Critical Decision as Trump Faces Third Indictment<\/h2>\n<p>Three influential \u2064Senate Republicans find themselves at a crossroads as former President Donald Trump \u2062prepares to \u2063face his third indictment. Senate Minority Whip \u200bJohn Thune (R-SD), Senate Republican Conference\u200b Chairman \u2064John Barrasso \u200d(R-WY), and Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) must now make a \u200cchoice: withdraw their \u2062support from Trump and risk their leadership\u200d positions, or\u2062 continue to stand by him and potentially face a repeat of the disappointing 2022 midterm\u2063 elections.<\/p>\n<h3>Their Leadership Positions Hang in the Balance<\/h3>\n<p>As potential successors to\u200c Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), the stance \u2062these\u200b three senators take on the former president\u2062 could significantly impact their chances of leading the Republican Party in \u200dthe future. McConnell and Trump have had a tumultuous relationship, with McConnell intensifying \u200chis attacks since the underwhelming performance \u2062of Republicans in the 2022 midterms. Many GOP\u200d leaders, including\u2064 McConnell, blamed Trump for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-trump-indictment-could-affect-three-possible-mcconnell-successors\/\" title=\"Impact of Trump Indictment on McConnell Successors\">endorsing hard-line conservative candidates<\/a> who defeated more \u2064moderate Republicans in the primaries but failed to secure victories against Democrats, resulting in Democrats maintaining a Senate majority and\u200c Republicans holding a slim majority in the House.<\/p>\n<p>Since the indictments, Thune, Barrasso, and Cornyn have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pence-becomes-first-gop-presidential-candidate-to-visit-ukraine-meet-with-zelensky\/\" title=\"Pence is the initial GOP candidate to visit Ukraine and meet Zelensky.\">expressed differing views<\/a> on Trump&#8217;s \u200blegal troubles and his viability as a candidate. As potential\u200d leaders in the Senate, their support for the party&#8217;s top nominee could\u200b impact their ability to\u200c garner support from fellow senators and voters.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;The\u2064 American people have lost faith in \u200bBiden\u2019s Justice Department,\u201d Barrasso told Punchbowl\u200c News. \u201cThey \u200dare uncomfortable\u200d watching the current\u2064 president weaponize the justice system against his\u2063 political opponent.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Barrasso, who is up for reelection in 2024,\u2063 appears to be aligning himself with Trump, positioning himself as a frontrunner for the GOP nomination. Known\u2062 for his \u2063ability to\u200c bridge the gap between GOP leadership and the party&#8217;s more <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mccarthy-touts-early-house-momentum-as-biggest-challenges-lie-ahead\/\" title=\"McCarthy touts early House momentum as biggest challenges lie ahead\">hard-line members<\/a>, Barrasso&#8217;s pro-Trump statements may be \u2064a strategic move to gain support\u200c from Republican senators in\u2062 future leadership elections.<\/p>\n<p>Thune,\u200b on the other hand,\u2064 has distanced \u200bhimself\u200d from Trump, following the lead of several traditional\u2064 Republicans who either endorse another\u2062 2024 GOP candidate \u2063or explicitly state that Trump is unelectable. Thune has thrown his\u2063 support behind Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), whose\u2063 campaign appeals to established Republicans and rarely mentions Trump in speeches or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utah-education-board-member-under-investigation-after-social-media-posts-about-schools-brainwashing-children\/\" title=\"Utah Education Board Member probed for criticizing schools' influence on children.\">social \u2062media posts<\/a>. \u200dThune has\u200c refrained from \u200boffering opinions on whether the indictments against \u200bTrump are\u2063 a &#8220;weaponization&#8221; of the\u200d federal government.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;There are very serious\u200c allegations \u2063in\u2062 the indictment, and I think the Justice Department \u2014\u200b as they \u200cattempt to \u200cprove their case \u2014 they\u2019ve got a high\u200d burden of proof to convince people that they\u2019re handling this fairly and as they would for any other elected official,\u201d Thune said in\u200d June when Smith indicted Trump for his handling of\u200c classified \u200ddocuments.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Despite \u200cthe\u2064 indictments, polling indicates that a majority of Republican voters still support Trump in the primary. Only 13% of \u200bRepublicans believe Trump committed &#8220;serious federal crimes,&#8221; according to a recent New York Times\/Siena College poll.<\/p>\n<p>Cornyn, who received\u200c Trump&#8217;s endorsement\u200d in the \u200b2020 election, \u2064openly questions\u2062 whether Trump has a chance of \u2062defeating President Joe Biden in the 2024 general \u2062election. Like Thune and McConnell, Cornyn\u200c is wary \u200bof Trump&#8217;s lingering influence over the Republican Party. He doubts Trump&#8217;s ability to appeal to moderate Republicans and independent voters, a crucial factor in winning a general election.<\/p>\n<p>Since then, \u200dTrump\u2063 has criticized Cornyn as a RINO (Republican In Name Only), and his campaign has labeled the Texas senator as \u2062part of &#8220;the problem.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The impact of Thune, Barrasso, and Cornyn&#8217;s comments on Trump will depend\u2062 on whether Trump secures the Republican \u200cpresidential\u2064 nomination. \u2063The Republican National\u2063 Committee \u200bhas\u200b made it a rule that all primary candidates \u200bmust pledge to endorse the GOP\u2062 nominee. If Trump becomes the nominee, it is \u200blikely that Thune and Cornyn, regardless of their initial preferences, will also \u200boffer their support to the former\u2062 president in the\u200d general election. McConnell, \u2064who has refrained from discussing Trump&#8217;s legal battles\u200d and endorsing \u200da candidate in \u200bthe 2024 primary, will\u200c likely set aside his differences with the former president\u200c and rally Republican voters to defeat Biden\u2063 in 2024.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\">Click here<\/a> to read more from The Washington Examiner.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Top Republican lawmakers face a crucial decision as ex-President Donald Trump faces his third indictment. Senators Thune, Barrasso, and Cornyn must decide whether to continue supporting him or withdraw their backing. This choice puts them at a crossroads in their political careers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1989547,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1989546","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1989546","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1989546"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1989546\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1989547"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1989546"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1989546"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1989546"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}