Guerrillas in the midst
/These Republican senators could put a wrench in Trump’s expansive legislative agenda
The surviving RINOs, naturally: McConnell, Collins from Maine, Murkowski of Alaska, and a new one, some global warmist hysteric from Utah named John Curtis, a clone of Mittens Romney.
A foursome of Republican lawmakers could overpower the GOP’s 53-47 majority in the Senate — and stymie President Trump’s legislative agenda should they choose to vote as a bloc, insiders told The Post.
The group — which reportedly teamed up to nix Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz’s nomination for attorney general– includes Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, who despite being shoved aside as leader of Senate Republicans after a series of freezing incidents last year, will remain a force in the chamber until at least 2027.
“I think McConnell is in kind of a petulant mood and has been on a jihad against his own party for three years. So it’s potentially a big problem,” said one GOP Senate insider.
Trump could also face resistance from a pair of moderate GOP women — Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. Both are longtime institutions of the chamber with strong domestic constituencies and owe little to Trump or his brand.
Both women voted to impeach Trump in the aftermath of the January 6 riot at the capital, and cast decisive votes which prevented Trump from repealing Obamacare in 2017. And both women joined with McConnell to sink Gaetz’s Attorney General nomination. Trump actively backed a primary against Murkowski in 2022, which failed.
“Collins is in Maine, she is in a very difficult reelection because she is in a state which voted seven points for Kamala Harris and she is notoriously independent in how she acts. Murkowski is in a conservative state but just doesn’t seem to like Donald Trump. She’s just a thorn in his side for absolutely no reason,” said GOP strategist Ryan Girdusky.
A second GOP insider said he expected the two “are going to be difficult.”
Rounding out the four is Utah’s incoming Sen. John Curtis, a moderate Republicans in the mold of Trump arch-nemesis, former Beehive State Sen. Mitt Romney. While in Congress, Curtis was a member of the bipartisan Problem Solver’s Caucus and chair of the Conservative Climate Caucus — putting him a collision course with Trump, who is a known climate-skeptic.
Trump also endorsed his primary opponent, Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs, Curtis received the enthusiastic backing of Romney.
“I’m not going to give him an unconditional yes to anything he wants,” Curtis warned during a primary debate in June.
Collins has to vote Left if she is to win enough votes from behind the Tofu Line to win reelection. Already her actions in the regard, in tandem with Murkowski, are so blatant that they’ve even came to the attention of that Taos blogger we know: Republican Senators, Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins vote “Yes” and confirm another Far-Left Judical Nominee from the Biden Administration
McConnell is retiring in 2027, and Murkowski doesn’t have to face her conservative constituents until that same year; plenty of time for these dreadful people to stall, even defeat, the plans to transform the country. I do admire anyone who stands on principle, but this particular opposition smacks more of personal pique and political grandstanding than from deeply-held beliefs. But whatever their reasons, it spells trouble, unfortunately.