Jacob Ogles
Both of Florida’s U.S. Senators say they won’t greenlight any Democratic priorities in the wake of Donald Trump’s criminal conviction.
U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott, both Republicans, co-signed a letter declaring they won’t work with Democrats following what they consider an abuse of power. Both Florida Senators, along with most federal Republicans representing the state, criticized the May 30 verdict, and said charges were politically motivated as Trump runs against Democratic President Joe Biden.
U.S. Sen. Mike Lee, a Utah Republican and Trump ally, a day after the verdict posted a letter signed by eight GOP Senators saying the chamber would not work with the administration or the Democratic majority on an array of issues.
The Senators said they won’t allow any increase to non-security-related funding requested by the administration, will not vote to confirm any Biden appointees to any political or judicial openings, and won’t allow expedited consideration or passage of “Democrat legislation or authorities that are not directly relevant to the safety of the American people.”
“The White House has made a mockery of the rule of law and fundamentally altered our politics in an un-American war,” the letter reads. “As a Senate Republican conference, we are unwilling to aid and abet this White House in its project to tear this country apart.”
Scott reposted the letter on his own social media and endorsed Lee’s sentiment.
“100% agree. Our country is in real trouble,” the Naples Republican said. “Republicans must stand together and end this madness.”
Rubio is notably under consideration by Trump as a running mate during the 2024 Presidential Election. He also posted about the move Friday.
“Statements of outrage are no longer enough. So I hope every Republican Senator who is sickened by what the deranged left is doing to our country will join us in taking action in the Senate.”
Scott is up for re-election this year, and is also running for Senate Republican Leader.
Importantly, the New York criminal case, which surrounded hush money payment Trump allegedly paid to porn star Stormy Daniels to keep secret an extramarital sexual encounter, was brought by New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg, not by the Justice Department or any member of the Biden administration.
But two separate court cases have continued in federal courts in Florida and Washington prosecuted by Special Counsel Alvin Bragg. A number of House Republicans have called frequently to defund those federal investigations.
Trump also faces charges in Georgia, where he is accused of conspiring to overturn election results there, but that case is being managed by Fulton County prosecutors. Like the New York case, that isn’t connected to any actions by the Justice Department.
19 comments
Michael K
May 31, 2024 at 3:16 pm
Idiots. Do they not know the difference between state and federal governments? How stupid do they think people are?
Oh wait.
My Take
May 31, 2024 at 3:21 pm
Theh are just look-at-me Trump grovelers and public panderers.
Putin beams.
ScienceBLVR
May 31, 2024 at 3:45 pm
I don’t recall Scott or Rubio ever busting down doors to support any Democratic initiatives anyway, so this is just a bunch of malarkey. Yeah that’ll show them! We won’t work with them on anything, border security bills, infrastructure, aid to foreign allies.. boy, those Dems are really gonna be sorry they messed with our conman.
Danny E White
May 31, 2024 at 3:56 pm
This seems extremely petty and sophomoric. The Biden Administration DID NOT charge Trump with the 34 counts, the STATE OF NEW YORK charged him and prosecuted him and a jury of his peers found him guilty of all 34 charges. Further here are the people who testified during the trial and they are NOT friends of the Biden Administration, as it were: Here’s who the jury heard from throughout the trial:
David Pecker — the former CEO of American Media Inc., the National Enquirer’s parent company — was the first witness called to testify. After more than 10 hours of testimony across four days, he offered illuminating details into how the infamous tabloid operated and conducted so-called “catch and kill” operations.
Rhona Graff, Trump’s longtime assistant at the Trump Organization, was called to testify briefly on April 26.
Gary Farro, the former banker of Cohen, walked the jury through Cohen’s bank activity around the payment to Daniels.
Dr. Robert Browning, the executive director of C-SPAN archives, was called so prosecutors could use his testimony to get records into evidence.
Phillip Thompson, a director at a court reporting company, testified about how depositions work.
Keith Davidson, the former lawyer for model and actress Karen McDougal as well as for Daniels, was on the stand for nearly six hours over two days.
Douglas Daus works for the Manhattan District Attorney’s High Technology Analysis Unit, and was assigned to analyze two iPhones that belonged to Cohen in the investigation related to Trump. They were obtained via a search warrant. Daus testified about the “unusual” amount of contacts and other things he found on Cohen’s phone.
Hope Hicks, Trump’s longtime former aide, testified for a little less than three hours about her role as Trump’s 2016 campaign press secretary, the aftermath of the “Access Hollywood” tape release and Cohen’s payment to Daniels.
Jeffrey McConney, a former Trump Organization controller, testified about how Cohen’s payments were listed in Trump’s financial documents.
Deborah Tarasoff, the accounts payable supervisor in the accounting department at the Trump Organization, explained how checks were cut to Cohen in 2017 and testified that invoices over $10,000 had to be approved by Trump or one of his sons.
Sally Franklin, the senior vice president and executive managing editor for Penguin Random House publishing group, testified for 46 minutes. Prosecutors used her testimony to enter excerpts from Trump’s books into evidence.
Stormy Daniels, who’s at the center of the hush money case, was on the stand for six hours and 10 minutes over two days of testimony. Daniels walked the jury through details about her alleged sexual encounter with Trump in 2006 and the $130,000 hush money payment from Trump’s ex-attorney Michael Cohen shortly before the 2016 election. Trump attorney Susan Necheles hammered down on Daniels in cross-examination to establish some of the ways she gained publicity and money from her story going public.
Rebecca Manochio, a junior bookkeeper at the Trump Organization, testified for about 35 minutes. The prosecution used Manochio to submit invoices, documents and emails as evidence.
Tracey Menzies, the senior vice president of production and creative operations at Harper Collins, spoke about one of the books Donald Trump co-authored, “Think Big: Make It Happen in Business and Life,” by Trump and Bill Zanker and read excerpts from the book.
Madeleine Westerhout, a former personal assistant to Trump at the White House, detailed how the president preferred to work, his attention to detail and the reaction to the “Access Hollywood” tape.
Daniel Dixon, an AT&T lead compliance analyst. He was used to enter phone records into evidence.
Jennie Tomalin, Verizon senior analyst in executive relations, was also called to the stand to enter evidence into the records.
Georgia Longstreet, who testified on May 3 and May 10, gave evidence about social media posts and text messages.
Jaden Jarmel-Schneider, another paralegal from the Manhattan district attorney’s office, testified about analyzing phone records entered into evidence on May 10.
Michael Cohen, Trump’s personal attorney, is at the center of the hush money payment, and hence, was a key witness for the prosecution.
Daniel Sitko, a paralegal in Trump attorney Todd Blanche’s law firm, was the defense’s first witness and submitted a phone chart into evidence.
Robert Costello, an attorney connected with Michael Cohen, was the second defense witness and testified about the alleged pressure campaign against Cohen.
Richard Paula
May 31, 2024 at 4:06 pm
Marsha Blackburn an epitome of an arch right legislator replaced the moderate excellent Senator Bob Corker a former Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, who did not run for another term. Tommy Tuberville is a misplaced football coach. The two Senators from Florida are repellent. Senator Lee is a replica of John C Calhoun a prominent southern obstructionist. Senator Roger Marshall is a physician from Kansas whose politics are very far right. All in all a group of negativists who contribute nothing good or positive to the national scene
Dont Say FLA
May 31, 2024 at 4:08 pm
Scott and Rubio seem to be confused about how things work.
The executive branch of the federal government is in no way related to the Supreme Court of the State of New York or any verdicts rendered at the Supreme Court of the State of New York.
Each state gets only two senators. These two Moes are Florida’s senators?
Ocean Joe
May 31, 2024 at 4:26 pm
The only US senator close to being as much of a buffoon as Ricky is Tommy Tuberville. Glad to see them together.
Looks like Boss Trump’s capos are all lined up. Handle the country’s business? Nope. We gotta take care of the Don.
More gridlock, please.
tom palmer
May 31, 2024 at 4:36 pm
like this is a surprise. partisan hacks.
Margaret
May 31, 2024 at 5:17 pm
More performances by amateur thespians. Imagine how they would look, arrayed in pink tutus, skittering across a stage, in unison, chanting: “won’t support, won’t support…”
This is not about governing or legislating. This is about appealing to the lowest common denominator: Trump supporters, in hope that some of Trump’s fairy dust will fall on them when they run for the next office.
MH/Duuuval
June 1, 2024 at 10:52 am
They would make a high-kicking crew of hoofers, all right, and pretty in pink.
rick whitaker
May 31, 2024 at 6:51 pm
those 8 senators have put themselves on a list that can’t be good for them. as far as an anti-voting block goes, who are those senators kidding, they were never going to behave american anyway. marsha blackburn may be mentally retarded, have you heard her try to speak?
PeterH
June 1, 2024 at 1:14 am
Rick Scott, Marco Rubio and six other Republican senators a have vowed to stop working….basically a paid STRIKE.
Republicans are America’s worst enemy!
Vote all Republicans out of office.
Ima Person
June 3, 2024 at 8:41 am
Any other job they would be fired. Same should happen here. What are they being paid for?
Ocean Joe
June 1, 2024 at 5:51 am
Even Mike Pence, climbed down from the scaffold long enough to bitch about the trial. Always the perfect Christian.
waking up
June 1, 2024 at 8:35 am
Two traitors helping to destroy our democracy with unfounded attacks on the rule of law, disgraceful disregard for the grand jury and the criminal trial jury, each made up of the “people” – instead offering a false narrative that somehow President Biden was part of the process. Putin is laughing his butt off at these clown so-called Senators. Pox on them for being cheerleaders for a shart in court loser coward who banged a porn actress while his wife was pregnant and then conspired to keep it quiet by disguising hush money payments as legal fees. I pray that God does not forgive these liars and that they burn in Hell.
JustBabs
June 1, 2024 at 2:01 pm
I always vote for my reps to refuse to do their jobs intentionally sabotage our gov. NOT. When did they ever support Biden, in any way? They are all Negative Ninnies who hurt this country with their tantrums and refusal to do anything productive for Americans. What idiot Floridians vote for these traitors who hate America?
Sundance
June 3, 2024 at 5:24 pm
I know how they feel. Myself don’t support anything either 😞
Joe
June 5, 2024 at 5:11 pm
So what’s new? RepubliQans have been the party of minority obstruction for at least 15 years, so Lil Marco and Skeletor aren’t saying/doing anything novel here.
Tania
June 11, 2024 at 7:55 am
This is completely unacceptable from any party!!! Just another excuse to sit on their privileged asses and collect a paycheck. Big freaking babies throwing a tantrum!
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