WASHINGTON — Mitch McConnell is staying mum on the unprecedented criminal charges facing his enduring political nemesis, former President Donald Trump.
The Senate GOP leader, who continues to recover from a fall in Washington early last month, is one of the few well-known Republicans who haven’t weighed in since news of the indictment first leaked last week.
Even so, his silence is no surprise.
Tight lips is the posture McConnell has assumed for most of Trump’s post-presidency, when his relationship with the former White House occupant deteriorated, likely beyond repair. Trump has consistently called for McConnell’s ouster as Republican leader, rampaging against him in interviews.
McConnell has attempted to ignore Trump’s bluster in order to squelch intraparty drama.
There was some speculation McConnell was waiting to comment until after the specific felony charges were unveiled in New York City on Tuesday. Now it seems more likely he won’t respond until he’s forced to: face-to-face with reporters once he returns to public appearances.
“If we issue a statement we will let everyone know,” is all McConnell’s top spokesman, David Popp, would offer on Wednesday.
Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony charges related to false business reports he allegedly made to cover up a sexual relationship with an adult porn star that might have hindered his 2016 presidential candidacy. While jail time could result from a conviction, many legal analysts see that as unlikely. Trump also faces ongoing investigations into his interference in the certification of ballots in the 2020 election in Georgia and into his handling of classified documents at his Mar-a-lago home.
Bruce Mehlman, a Washington consultant and former adviser to President George W. Bush, said there’s a simple but practical reason McConnell is staying away from Trump’s legal saga.
“Leader McConnell is singularly focused on regaining the Senate in 2024, and commenting on the Trump Circus does not advance that mission,” Mehlman said.
Speaker Kevin McCarthy, McConnell’s Republican counterpart in the House, has taken the opposite tact. He accused Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg of “interfer[ing] in our democratic process,” as Trump remains a candidate for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.
McCarthy has even pledged the GOP House will hold Bragg accountable.
Rep. Thomas Massie, the northern Kentucky Republican known for polarizing statements, argued that Bragg should be “disbarred and removed from office.”
“This is an egregious abuse of the legal system for political purposes and threatens the fabric of our judicial system,” Massie tweeted.
Sen. Rand Paul described Bragg as an “overzealous, super liberal local prosecutor.”
“A clear case of political prosecution,” Paul charged. “All Americans should stand up to this injustice, regardless of their political views or opinions of the former president.”
Paul is also seizing on conservative outrage over the indictment to solicit email addresses for political donations.
“Send a message to Alvin Bragg – the out-of-control, overreaching Manhattan DA – who seeks to shred our Constitution over a political opponent he dislikes,” Paul wrote in an email soliciting petition signatures.
New sign-ups agree to recurring autodialed campaign and donation solicitations from Paul.
Top Senate GOP leaders have reacted more similarly to McConnell.
McConnell’s No. 2, Sen. John Thune of South Dakota – a past target of Trump – has also chosen not to weigh in.
Sen. John Barasso of Wyoming, the third-ranking Republican and chairman of the conference, called Trump’s indictment “a politically motivated prosecution by a far-left activist.”
“If it was anyone other than President Trump. A case like this would never be brought,” Barasso claimed.
Trump’s next court appearance in the Manhattan case isn’t scheduled until December. He’s set to go on trial in January 2024, just a month before the Iowa caucuses kick off the 2024 Republican primary for president.
