This week, Senate Republicans voted down a proposal for witnesses during President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial, which effectively fast-tracked an acquittal for the president, despite the ample evidence implicating him in a plot to bribe Ukraine into investigating his opponents. Now, the president’s side has promptly turned to fundraising — the McConnell for Majority Leader fundraising committee has scheduled a fundraising event for this Saturday afternoon in South Beach, Florida, as if they just couldn’t wait to party after delivering a green light for foreign interference in U.S. elections, although it’s unclear if McConnell himself will personally attend.
The fundraiser was supposedly scheduled “months ago.” The event requires a steep price to attend — it’s only an hour long, but the per person price is apparently $20,600, which will then be broken up with $2,800 for the McConnell Senate Committee primary election fund, $2,800 for the general election fund, $10,000 for the Republican Party of Kentucky, and the last $5,000 for the Bluegrass Committee, a political action committee that has already poured money into funds for a full fifteen Republican Senators during this 2020 election cycle, including some big names like South Carolina’s Lindsey Graham and Arizona’s Martha McSally, the latter of whom is especially vulnerable to a tough re-election battle this year. The attendance costs for the Saturday event are split up in order to adhere to the on paper limits for individuals’ political contributions.
McConnell has personally been required to stay in D.C. throughout recent days for Trump’s impeachment trial alongside all of the rest of the members of the Senate, who together have been serving as jurors. The trial seems to have forced the cancellation of one fundraising event that had been scheduled for Sunday morning and slated to host Florida’s Republican Senator Rick Scott as a special guest. General tickets for that event were priced at “only” $2,500 — but it won’t be happening, after all.
Scott and McConnell have both been ardently defending Trump throughout the impeachment proceedings.
For example, shortly before the trial got underway, McConnell pompously asserted:
‘Democrats’ impeachment has been nakedly partisan from the beginning… The framers built the Senate to break these kinds of partisan fevers. To stabilize our institutions and protect our country. To stop short-term passions from destroying our long-term future. That is the Senate’s duty.’
The framers built the Senate to break these kinds of partisan fevers. To stabilize our institutions and protect our country. To stop short-term passions from destroying our long-term future. That is the Senate's duty. That is what we must do when this trial begins.
— Leader McConnell (@senatemajldr) January 16, 2020
So is the idea that Republicans are physically incapable of partisanship or something? McConnell doesn’t seem to be just with Trump for the side effects of more Republican judges in the judiciary. Nope — he’s fully onboard with the same kind of wild egomania that drove Trump to his weekend proclamation that he is “America’s Greatest President.” His self-righteousness knows no bounds. This situation is not normal.
Congratulations to @loudobbs, Number One. Lou has shown the Fake News what happens when you cover “America’s Greatest President” fairly & objectively! #MAGA #KAG https://t.co/68b0vPvmNd
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 1, 2020
McConnell is one of many Republican Senators who are up for re-election this year, although he’s in one of the seats that are considered at least somewhat safe for Republicans.
The Cook Political Report calls a full half of a dozen currently GOP-held seats as either toss-ups or only “leaning” Republican, which is the last stop before toss-up status. Democrats need to hold on to their own seats and secure four of those to become the majority in the Senate.
