There is a battle brewing within the Republican Party as Donald Trump’s impeachment comes to a close. According to the Daily Beast, Republicans in the Senate are arguing whether or not they should use their control of Senate committees to launch retaliatory investigations into the whistleblower who first raised concerns over Trump that lead to the impeachment.
According to the Washington Post’s Rachael Bade, multiple Republican lawmakers are revolting against Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) over his stated desire to encourage the heads of various Senate committees to start their own investigations once the president is acquitted as expected.
“With the Senate on the eve of a vote to acquit Trump on charges that he abused his power by withholding U.S. aid to Ukraine to secure that investigation, the Biden corruption counter-case has transformed into a core concern for the president’s base of supporters—many of whom now want to see the GOP-controlled Senate use its power to “get to the bottom” of it when the impeachment trial is over,” the Beast’s Sam Brodey wrote. “The problem, however, is that on Capitol Hill, the appetite for a sweeping probe into the Bidens and Burisma appears limited—even among staunch defenders of the president.”
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) appeared to call out Graham over his plan while speaking on the Senate floor.
“I think we should all hold hands in a big circle, sing Kumbaya, and quit all the stupid investigations,” Paul explained. “We can do these endless recriminations forever and ever if we want… I think people are tired of the damn impeachment. Why can’t we start talking about some things we could do to help the country, you know?”
Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) agreed, while also admitting that he has concerns about the Bidens.
“I don’t think there should be a tremendous, long-term protracted something unless something is there,” Lankford told the Beast when asked about Graham’s proposal.
“There also appears to be limited interest in a Senate investigation into the whistleblower complaint that sparked the impeachment inquiry, another core concern for the president’s base,” Brodey also noted, adding, “The path ahead for the Senate GOP, then, is fraught: after a hard-won fight to defeat Trump’s impeachment, they will have to balance ramped-up pressure from an aggrieved GOP base, hungry for revenge, with weary senators’ desire to leave everything Ukraine behind.”
You can read the entire report HERE.
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