Former U.S. President Donald Trump, in Mar-a-Lago, Fla., November 15, 2022. ANDREW HARNIK/AP
This silence does not speak. He calls. What was striking was the lack of Republican reactions in defense of Donald Trump after the recommendations of the commission of inquiry into the attack of January 6, 2021 had been made. Elected representatives of the House of Representatives on December 19 asked the Justice Department to launch criminal proceedings against the former president on four counts.
Their final report, 845 stunning pages long, released on the evening of Thursday, December 22, chronicles Donald Trump’s central role in contesting the November 2020 election loss, campaigning for lies and manipulation against imaginary frauds, and mobilizing of his followers in front of the Capitol, whose potential for violence he knew. Among the authors’ latest proposals is to make those responsible for the attack, including the former president, ineligible in the future.
“The entire nation knows who is responsible for this day,” Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said in a press release earlier this week. Relations between the latter and Donald Trump have long been contentious. But the fact that Mitch McConnell allows himself such statements shows the weakening of the former leader.
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While the elected MAGA (“Make America Great Again”, Donald Trump’s slogan) stuck to a classic condemnation of the commission and was accused of political vendetta, the former president had to take charge of his own defense. He greeted the results on his social network Truth Social with unconvincing nonchalance: “These people don’t understand that those who love freedom rally around me when they attack me. It strengthens me. What does not kill me, makes me stronger. »
In fact, this last week before Christmas is particularly painful for Donald Trump and also reveals the yawning fractures within the Republican Party. They are illustrated by Thursday’s Senate passage on a train of gargantuan spending of $1,700 billion. This so-called “omnibus” law covers a variety of issues, most notably a new $45 billion aid package for Ukraine. As is traditional at this time of year, very intensive negotiations were held between the two parties in order to avoid a “shutdown”, the cessation of the activities of non-essential federal missions. The Senate vote required the Democrats to gain ten Republicans. The text was adopted by 68 votes to 29.
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