Topline
CNN political analyst Carl Bernstein on Sunday revealed the names of 21 Republican Senators who he reported show “extreme contempt” for Trump and behind closed doors despite most displaying public deference to the president.
U.S. President Donald Trump (2nd L) speaks to the media as (L-R) Sen. John Thune (R-SD), Vice ... [+]
Key Facts
The senators, Bernstein tweeted, include the five who have congratulated Joe Biden on his election victory despite Trump’s refusal to concede: Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.).
Also included in Bernstein’s list are several Senate GOP leaders – though notably not Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell – including Senate GOP Whip John Thune (R-S.D.) and his predecessor John Cornyn (R-Tex.), Senate GOP No. 4 Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and newly elected NRSC Chair Rick Scott (R-Fla.).
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who Trump mocked as “little Marco” when they faced off in the 2016 campaign but who has since become a firm Trump backer in public, is on the list, though Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), who sustained some of Trump’s harshest attacks in 2016, is not.
Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) Pat Roberts (R-Kans.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), who have broken with Trump in either calling for the transition to start or for Biden to receive classified intelligence briefings, are on the list.
The list also includes Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), the Senate GOP’s only black member, outgoing Sen. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.), and Sens. Jerry Moran (R-Kans.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Richard Burr (R-N.C.).
Spokespeople for Grassley, Portman, Young and Rick Scott all denied Bernstein’s report, with Grassley spokesman Michael Zona adding, “Washington journalists might be wise to reconsider trafficking in baseless second- and third-hand rumor. It may restore some lost credibility.”
Forbes has reached out to each of the senators listed by Bernstein.
Crucial Quote
“What I’m doing is I’m not violating a journalistic principle because they’ve told me what I’m about to say,” Bernstein said during a CNN appearance. “For two or three years I’ve talked to members of staffs of the senators, members of committees... aides, assistants, people who have worked for these people.”
Surprising Fact
Bernstein said “many, if not most” of the senators he named “were happy to see Donald Trump defeated in this election as long as the Senate could be controlled by the Republicans” because “they’ve experienced Donald Trump and his dishonesty... and they know what Donald Trump has done to undermine the confidence in our institutions.”
Chief Critic
Bernstein took aim at the senators for not making their contempt public, tweeting, “With few exceptions, their craven public silence has helped enable Trump’s most grievous conduct—including undermining and discrediting the [US electoral] system.” While Bernstein also said McConnell and others are “attempting to find a way to somehow bring the country off the ledge we are on because of the ‘mad king’," he added that it may be “too little too late.”
Tangent
In his book “Fear,” Washington Post columnist Bob Woodward, who famously partnered with Bernstein while reporting on the Watergate scandal, quoted former Chief of Staff John Kelly calling Trump “an idiot” – which he denies – and former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis claiming the president has the comprehension of a “fifth or sixth grader.”
Key Background
The risks to Republican officials who break with Trump has been made abundantly clear. Former Sens. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) and Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), both occasional critics of the president, chose to retire in 2018 rather than face difficult primary challenges from their right flank. Former Rep. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.), also a Trump-critic, chose to run again in 2018, only to be defeated by a conservative primary challenger.
What To Watch For
Trump has signaled his eagerness to retaliate against any Republicans who display disloyalty as he continues to contest and attempt to overturn the election results. Last Monday he hinted at supporting a primary challenge to Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine after he called Biden “president-elect,” and already there are reports that staunch Trump-ally Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) is discussing a run.
