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Apathy is the clear front-runner when it comes to the news that Donald Trump may be indicted for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/republicans-donald-trump-indictment-january-6_n_64b93bace4b08cd259dae964
There are strong indications that Donald Trump could soon face his third criminal indictment, this time over his unprecedented effort to overturn an election he lost. And yet much of the country — including the Republican Party and most of Trump’s rivals for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination — is shrugging off the news as just more of the same.
On Capitol Hill, the literal scene of the alleged crime, Republicans who once criticized the twice-impeached former president for failing to protect the Capitol quickly shifted this week into a familiar posture of attacking the Department of Justice, claiming without evidence that the agency is being “weaponized” against Trump.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who once called Trump “morally responsible” for the riot and suggested he face criminal consequences, clammed up when asked if the former president should face charges, telling reporters he wouldn’t be “critiquing” presidential candidates. In McConnell’s world, not defending Trump — or saying much at all — is good enough.
Meanwhile, many of the GOP candidates seeking to beat Trump in the presidential race leaned into the quixotic strategy of rushing to his defense, likely because Republican primary voters are still broadly supportive of the former president despite his role inciting the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on Congress, one of the darkest days in American democracy.
The dynamic has left many in Washington — even those Republicans who aren’t necessarily the biggest Trump fans — feeling a mix of resignation and apathy.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/republicans-donald-trump-indictment-january-6_n_64b93bace4b08cd259dae964
There are strong indications that Donald Trump could soon face his third criminal indictment, this time over his unprecedented effort to overturn an election he lost. And yet much of the country — including the Republican Party and most of Trump’s rivals for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination — is shrugging off the news as just more of the same.
On Capitol Hill, the literal scene of the alleged crime, Republicans who once criticized the twice-impeached former president for failing to protect the Capitol quickly shifted this week into a familiar posture of attacking the Department of Justice, claiming without evidence that the agency is being “weaponized” against Trump.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who once called Trump “morally responsible” for the riot and suggested he face criminal consequences, clammed up when asked if the former president should face charges, telling reporters he wouldn’t be “critiquing” presidential candidates. In McConnell’s world, not defending Trump — or saying much at all — is good enough.
Meanwhile, many of the GOP candidates seeking to beat Trump in the presidential race leaned into the quixotic strategy of rushing to his defense, likely because Republican primary voters are still broadly supportive of the former president despite his role inciting the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on Congress, one of the darkest days in American democracy.
The dynamic has left many in Washington — even those Republicans who aren’t necessarily the biggest Trump fans — feeling a mix of resignation and apathy.
