Should we follow where our conscience leads or go all-in on our political calculations, regardless of the evidence presented? These are the burning questions Republican U.S. Senators are reportedly asking themselves on Capitol Hill as the impeachment inquiry rolls along and defenses of the president prove more difficult for them by the day.
The Washington Post kicked off Monday with an anonymous GOP Senator saying that “It feels like a horror movie” — “it” being the threat impeachment presents to the party; “it” being the fear of the unknown yet to come; and “it” apparently being put in the position of having to choose between party and country.
The Post suggested that the unforgettable Republican swarming of the SCIF, for instance, was really just an outward sign that GOP lawmakers are struggling with their consciences right now:
Republican senators are lost and adrift as the impeachment inquiry enters its second month, navigating the grave threat to President Trump largely in the dark, frustrated by the absence of a credible case to defend his conduct and anxious about the historic reckoning that likely awaits them. Recent days have delivered the most damaging testimony yet about Trump and his advisers commandeering Ukraine policy for the president’s personal political goals, which his allies on Capitol Hill sought to undermine by storming the deposition room and condemning the inquiry as secretive and corrupt.
Those theatrics belie the deepening unease many Republicans now say they feel — particularly those in the Senate who are dreading having to weigh their conscience against their political calculations in deciding whether to convict or acquit Trump should the Democratic-controlled House impeach the president.
Some were quick to say, however, that there is a cure for what ails these lawmakers.
[Image via Alex Wong/Getty Images]
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