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Former President Donald Trump condemned Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell for the party’s failure to secure a Senate majority after contributing little himself to garner any midterm victories.
The declaration of blame was aired by the ex-commander-in-chief on Friday, shortly after Democratic Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly defeated Republican challenger Blake Masters, who had been one of Trump’s chosen candidates.
The heated race was one of five the ex-president funneled seven-figures worth of cash into to record a win – as well as faceoffs in Georgia, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania.
The only donation to prove fruitful was in Ohio, as political newcomer – and now senator-elect – JD Vance stole a win from Congressman Tim Ryan.
Despite Trump’s assertions on social media against McConnell Friday evening – which saw him label the House Leader ‘the worst’ – the ex-president’s spending choices in this year’s elections have also come under question, largely due to the party’s poor performance.
It comes as Democrats look to have succeeded in their fight to maintain a majority in the starkly divided Senate, with both parties needing just one seat to secure a majority.
Just two seats in the Senate are left to be decided in Nevada and Georgia’s contentious runoffs.
Final results are expected in the coming days. In the meantime, McConnell has been hearing it from his compatriots for Republicans’ apparent failure to assume control, as had been expected.
Former President Donald Trump has condemned Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell for the party’s failure to secure a majority favor, after contributing little cash himself to garner midterm victories
Despite his assertions on social media against McConnell Friday evening – which saw him label the House Leader ‘the worst’ – the former president’s spending choices in this year’s elections have also come under question, largely due to the party’s poor performance.
The delay caused by the suit could prove beneficial to Trump, if Republicans succeed in taking the majority in the House of Representatives and disband the committee. Both parties need just one seat to secure a majority
Trump, 76, who is rumored to announce a renewed bid for the presidency in the comings months, voiced his own displeasure with the Republican official on his social media platform TruthSocial Friday night.
‘Mitch McConnell, the Republicans Broken Down Senate Leader, does nothing about this,’ the impassioned post read.
The declaration of blame was aired by the ex-commander-in-chief on Friday, shortly after Democratic Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly (left) defeated Republican challenger Blake Masters (right), who had been one of Trump’s chosen candidates.
The potential president proceeded blame McConnell for Kelly’s loss specifically, citing how the official instead funneled cash into underperforming Alaska candidate Senator Lisa Murkowski, who is currently losing to fellow Republican Kelly Tshibaka – who Trump in his post called ‘far better’ than her opposition.
‘He’s too busy spending vast amounts of money on bad Senator Lisa [Murkowski] of Alaska when Kelly [Tshibaka] is FAR better,’ he wrote.
The state is now headed to a ranked choice runoff, as neither candidate – both the top two vote-getters – were able to record the necessary 50 percent.
Since both hail from the GOP, the race will not have any affect on Republicans’ as of now increasingly unsuccessful efforts to retake the house.
Trump went on to criticize McConnell, 80, for not overturning the 2020 presidential election, as the former head of state continues to face a congress probe into allegedly inciting unrest at the Capitol on January 6, 2020 – the day he handed over the keys to the White House to his Democrat successor, Joe Biden.
The potential president proceeded blame McConnell for Kelly’s loss specifically, citing how the official instead funneled cash into underperforming Alaska candidate Senator Lisa Murkowski (left), who is currently losing to fellow Republican Kelly Tshibaka (right)
Instead, Trump charged that McConnel donated to items that promoted a Democratic agenda, while allowing the party to further increase the national debt – currently at a record $31.24trillion.
‘He is the WORST!’ Trump – who is in the midst of several other legal battles as well – of the Republican leader, who hails from Kentucky.
Meanwhile, Trump did little himself to sway the unsatisfactory results.
In October, Trump shelled out $20 million to an allied super PAC backing his endorsed Senate candidates – a sum that came as a paltry 22 percent of his gargantuan $92million war chest, Bloomberg News reported.
Despite this, several other Senate Republicans echoed the ex-presidents and voiced their displeasure with McConnel over the weekend, as they seek to delay their scheduled leadership elections next week.
Trum’s post criticizing the Kentucky Republican were made shortly after Tshibaka, pictured here with the former president at a rally in July, declared victory
Trump, however, has done little himself to sway the unsatisfactory Republican results. In October, he shelled out just $20 million to an allied super PAC backing his endorsed Senate candidates – a sum that came as a paltry 22 percent of his $92million war chest
‘It makes no sense for Senate to have leadership elections before GA runoff,’ Senator and former Trump rival Ted Cruz tweeted Friday, before referencing the heated race between former NFL star Herschel Walker and Democrat Raphael Warnock.
‘We don’t yet know whether we’ll have a majority & Herschel Walker deserves a say in our leadership. Critically, we need to hear a specific plan for the next 2 yrs from any candidate for leadership.’
Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, meanwhile – another Trump adversary – also tweeted Friday the leadership vote ‘should be postponed.’
Despite this, several other Senate Republicans, including Texas’ Ted Cruz and Florida’s Marco Rubio, echoed the ex-president’s sentiments and voiced their displeasure with McConnel over the weekend, as they seek to delay their scheduled leadership elections next week
Fellow GOP Senator Cynthia Lummis, of Wyoming, would also tweet in support of Rubio’s proposition, along with Missouri’s Josh Hawley.
Members are so frustrated, that it is rumored they are pondering a replacement for the senior GOP position, with many having tabbed Florida Senator Rick Scott as the heir apparent.
Scott, 69, had been rumored to emerge as a challenger to McConnell up until this week, when it became clear Republicans will more than likely fail to capture the majority and that there was to be a runoff in Georgia.
Speaking to Fox News Saturday, however, an unnamed Senate GOP aide reportedly said those elections will continue as planned.
‘Members are frustrated, and they’re looking for an outlet to have a conversation,’ the anonymous insider said, adding that ‘there will be a robust discussion at lunch on Tuesday’ to discuss those matters.
At that meeting, the aide added, ‘There will also be a lot of questions about candidate quality/campaign priorities and mistakes.’
The source went on to reference reports that Scott had backed out of his bid to become the House’s Republican leader, saying that the longtime Florida rep will likely have a lot to address at the upcoming meeting, concerning the current state of the House’s conservative faction.
‘A lot of these [questions] will be directed at Scott, especially if the reports are true that he was preparing to challenge McConnell before Election Day had even concluded,’ the insider said.
Meanwhile, the Nevada Senate race has become one of the most closely-watched in the country as the likelihood that it will decide which party controls the chamber increases by the day.
Meanwhile, the Nevada Senate race, between Adam Laxalt and the GOP’s Mark Kelly, has become one of the most closely-watched in the country – as the likelihood it will decide which party controls the chamber increases by the day
Officials in Clark County, however, said the final vote won’t be tallied for days as mail-in ballots continue to be numbered. On Friday, state election officials said there are roughly 90,000 ballots left to be counted.
Georgia is in a similar position, with a clear winner yet to be determined. A run-off will be held in the coming days.
McConnell, meanwhile, is struggling to stop any farther division amongst his party, after an apparent upset at the polls this past week.
Back in January, the veteran speaker asserted he would run for another term as the chamber’s top GOP leader at the end of the year, at the time shutting down the possibility of a prospective shake-up in the Republican chain of command.
He has presided over the Republican part of the Senate since 2007, and has served as their Majority Leader from 2015 to 2021.
TRUMP’S LEGAL WOES
Aside from New York AG Letitia James’ civil suit into Trump and his family two other criminal investigations are under way. One is into allegations of interference in the 2020 election and another into possible financial crimes.
At the same time, a Congressional inquiry is weighing whether or not to recommend criminal charges related to the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol last year.
January 6 investigation
Trump supporters overran the U.S. Capitol building on January 6 last year. The House of Representatives is collecting evidence about Trump’s role in the violence
The January 6 committee held a series of public hearings as it presents its evidence
Trump was acquitted last year by the Senate of ‘inciting an insurrection’ for the way he fired up his supporters and spread false claims about the 2020 election being stolen from him.
Republicans said he was vindicated.
But that was not the end of the matter.
The House has established a committee to sift through the events leading up to the riot, and has presented its evidence in a series of blockbuster hearings during the summer.
It has included testimony from Trump’s own aides that he knew he had lost the election, despite public claims to the contrary, and that he was told some of his supporters were armed, yet still demand they be allowed to march on Congress to protest certification of Joe Biden’s election victory.
The committee has no legal power to prosecute Trump. But it could recommend that the Department of Justice press charges.
Possible indictments could include obstructing the vote count in Congress or conspiring to defraud the US.
Presidential records
Staff members carry boxes to Marine One before President Donald Trump left the White House, on Jan. 20, 2021 for his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida
Trump aides were seen carrying boxes of files to Marine One when Trump flew out of the White House for the final time last year.
But presidents are meant to hand over their documents to the National Archive at the the end of their term under the requirements of the Presidential Records Act.
In February, the National Archive said some 15 boxes of government material, which should have been turned over, had been found at Mar-a-Lago.
Negotiations continued over materials that Trump had allegedly kept, but the quiet discussions exploded into public last month when the former president’s Florida home was searched by the FBI.
Attorney General Merrick Garland defended the operation and said he had signed off the search.
‘Faithful adherence to the rule of law is the bedrock principle of the Justice Department and of our democracy,’ he said.
‘Upholding the rule of law means applying the law evenly without fear or favor Under my watch, that is precisely what the Justice Department is doing.’
New York tax probe
Trump Organization Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg could face up to 15 years in prison if found guilty of tax fraud. It is one of two cases against the company in New York
New York Attorney General Letitia James is is also investigating allegations that Trump’s company misled lenders and tax authorities about asset values
In August a New York judge ordered the Trump Organization and its financial chief to stand trial in October on criminal tax fraud charges.
Prosecutors believe that Allen Weisselberg and Trump’s company conspired to give off-the-books compensation to senior executives for 15 years.
That included $1.7 million, including rent, car payments and school tuition, for Weisselberg, who is accused of defrauding New York out of $900,000 in unpaid taxes.
He and the company deny any wrongdoing.
At the same time, Trump faces a civil case being pursued by New York Attorney General Letitia James. She is looking into allegations that Trump’s company misled lenders and tax authorities about asset values, by raising and lowering valuations depending on whether it was for tax or investment purposes.
She questioned Trump under oath on Wednesday. But he pleaded the Fifth Amendment, repeating the phrase ‘same answer’, more than 400 times.
The two investigations are separate but James’ civil investigation could lead to a lawsuit and fines.
Georgia grand jury
Trump allies, including Rudy Giuliani (above), the former New York mayor and Trump lawyer, and Lindsey Graham, the Republican senator from South Carolina have been asked to appear before a Georgia grand jury investigating the aftermath of the 2020 election
Trump’s lawyers and allies are in the firing line in Georgia, where the former president and key aides allegedly tried to overturn the state’s 2020 election result.
Leaked emails and phone transcripts show how they put pressure on local officials including Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to stop Georgia’s 15 electoral college votes going to Biden.
In a January 2021 phone call, Trump even called on Raffensperger to ‘find’ him the 10,000 votes he needed to beat the Democratic candidate.
A grand jury has been convened to sift the claims and decide whether there is enough evidence to bring charges.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis more than three dozen individuals to appear before the jury. They include Rudy Giuliani, the former New York mayor and Trump lawyer, and Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina senator.
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