Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Tuesday that Donald Trump might have a “hard time” becoming president again if he believes that parts of the U.S. Constitution should be voided over false claims of fraud in the 2020 presidential election.
But the Kentucky Republican dodged a follow-up question about whether he would rule out supporting Trump in 2024.
“Anyone seeking the presidency saying, essentially, the Constitution should somehow be suspended or not followed, it seems to me would have a very hard time being sworn in,” McConnell said at a weekly press briefing on Capitol Hill.
McConnell, who pointedly avoids weighing in on any news involving the former president, didn’t directly criticize Trump or mention him by name. His latest comments were little more than a political prediction regarding Trump’s prospects for another term in the White House ― similar to the way he responded to the former president’s recent dinner with a white nationalist.
Over the weekend, Trump suggested a redo of the 2020 presidential election on Saturday because of newly released messages that show Twitter staffers discussing stories about now-President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden ahead of the 2020 presidential election.
“A Massive Fraud of this type and magnitude allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social.
Trump’s comments drew sharp criticism from some GOP lawmakers, even though none went so far as to rule out supporting his 2024 presidential bid in the future. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) called the remarks “irresponsible,” while Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) said his party should “choose if they’re for the circus clown or if they’re for the Constitution.”
Some of Trump’s biggest allies expressed mild disagreement without directly critiquing the former president. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said there are “no exceptions” to the Constitution, and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said the Constitution is “enduring and it will be for millennia to come.”
Meanwhile, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who is seeking to become speaker next month, also dodged a CNN reporter’s question about Trump’s comments earlier on Tuesday.
“I fully support the constitution,” McCarthy told CNN.
I asked McCarthy about Trump's remarks about overturning parts of the Constituon while he was walking into votes.
"I fully support the constitution," he told me while walking onto the House floor. He didn't elaborate.
— Daniella Diaz (@DaniellaMicaela) December 6, 2022
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Rescuers in Jersey on Sunday abandoned hope of finding survivors from an explosion that flattened a three-storey apartment block, with more than a dozen people feared dead.
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Rescuers in Jersey on Sunday abandoned hope of finding survivors from an explosion that flattened a three-storey apartment block, with more than a dozen people feared dead. At least three people were confirmed killed in the blast early Saturday in the Channel island's port capital St Helier, following a suspected gas leak. "We have three confirmed fatalities and it's fair to say we expect to find more," police chief Robin Smith told a news conference, saying that around 12 residents remained unaccounted for. "It is with sadness that I am confirming that the search-and-rescue operation has been moved to a recovery operation," he said. The next phase will involve a "meticulous and painstaking search of the debris" which could take weeks, Smith said. A gas leak was the "likely" cause, he added. "But as you often hear the police service say, we keep all our options open." Aided by sniffer dogs and urban rescue experts from southern England, Jersey emergency workers had picked through the rubble overnight. Fire chief Paul Brown confirmed that firefighters were called out to investigate the smell of gas on Friday evening, more than seven hours before the explosion. He conceded that something had gone "horribly wrong" given the subsequent disaster, but insisted Jersey islanders could still have confidence in his service. "We have been searching and we will not stop searching for people's loved ones," Brown said. Jersey's gas supplier, Island Energy, said it was working with the fire service to understand what happened. Like many others in St Helier, Jersey's Chief Minister Kristina Moore said she was woken by the blast. "Across the island you could hear this extraordinary sound," she told the BBC. "It's unthinkable news, we're all absolutely devastated and really concerned for the people who are involved, for those whose lives have been lost." Officials said around 40 residents near the destroyed flats had to be relocated on Saturday, and Moore praised the community for rallying round. The incident caps a tragic week for Jersey, a British Crown dependency not part of the United Kingdom, whose economy relies on banking, tourism and fishing. The coastguard Friday gave up a search for three Jersey fishermen missing for nearly 36 hours after their wooden boat hit a cargo ship and sank. The freighter is owned by Condor Ferries, whose Jersey offices lie near the destroyed apartment block. "We must call on the collective strength of the island community," Moore said after the twin disasters. jit/bp
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