Trump: Murkowski 'Will Never Recover'

But the president also calls her 'lucky'
By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 6, 2018 5:00 PM CDT
Updated Oct 6, 2018 5:30 PM CDT
Trump: Murkowski 'Will Never Recover'
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, talks with reporters after the confirmation vote of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, on Capitol Hill, Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018 in Washington.   (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Trump has a prediction, and it's none too kind: Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska "will never recover" politically for voting against Brett Kavanaugh, he tells the Washington Post. "I think the people from Alaska will never forgive her for what she did." But he also calls her "lucky" because "she doesn't run for four years." Trump called the Post Saturday afternoon before the historic 50-48 vote in Kavanaugh's favor, but after Murkowski had voted "no" Friday in a procedural vote to move Kavanaugh's nomination. In the same chat, Trump praised Sen. Susan Collins for her "yes" vote on Kavanaugh, calling her "an honorable, incredible woman. I think she's got a level of respect that's unbelievable. I really mean it." For more on the Kavanaugh decision:

  • Palin's house: "Hey @LisaMurkowski - I can see 2022 from my house..." tweeted Sarah Palin of Murkowski's opposition to Kavanaugh. Palin's missive—an echo of Tina Fey's mocking Saturday Night Live line, "I can see Russia from my house"—was "widely viewed as a thinly-veiled threat to challenge Murkowski in her 2022 reelection campaign to the Senate," per USA Today.
  • Collins: "I do not believe that Brett Kavanaugh was her assailant," Susan Collins says in a State of the Union interview set to air Sunday of Christine Blasey Ford's allegations, per CNN. "I do believe that she was assaulted. I don't know by whom. I'm not certain when." Collins says she looked for corroborating evidence in the FBI probe results, then made her decision. "I found Dr. Ford's testimony to be heart-wrenching, painful, compelling, and I believe that she believes what she testified to."
  • Anti-Collins: A crowdfunding effort to unseat Collins crashed for nearly two hours after the senator said she'd vote for Kavanaugh—apparently due to a wave of support for her future Democratic opponent, per Fast Company. Site officials tweeted that Collins "has people more motivated than we've ever seen before."
  • The FBI probe: "Senators have been muzzled," Sen. Elizabeth Warren tweeted this week about the FBI investigation, per the Washington Post. Warren says the FBI probe was not "full and fair," did not "exonerate Mr. Kavanaugh," and "the available documents contradict statements [he] made under oath."
  • The gift: "It's been a great political gift to us," Sen. Mitch McConnell tells the Washington Post of the fight to confirm Kavanaugh. "The tactics have energized our base. I want to thank the mob because they've done the one thing we were having trouble doing, which was energizing the base."

  • We're angrier: "Anger always lasts longer than happiness," longtime Democratic pollster Celinda Lake tells Politico. "Our side is going to be angry. We know anger lasts. What we don't know is, does winning lead to energy or does it lead to complacency?"
  • Screaming: Protesters disrupted the Senate confirmation vote Saturday, with 14 arrested and others forced screaming into the hallway—one dragged out by their arms and legs, CNN reports. As Vice President Mike Pence started the official vote, Time reports, a female protester shouted, "I do not consent. I do not consent. Where is my representation?"
  • Impeachment: Kavanaugh could still be impeached from the Supreme Court over allegations that he lied to the Judiciary Committee about stolen documents he received, the Post says. One analyst says Democrats will proceed with impeachment if they win the House in November, but removing him is "exceedingly unlikely" assuming Republicans hold the Senate.
  • The backroom: A lengthy New York Times piece says White House officials were "discouraged" after Ford and Deborah Ramirez made sexual-assault accusations against Kavanaugh, but more shocking allegations by Julie Swetnick—accompanied by brash California lawyer Michael Avenatti—encouraged them to fight back. White House counsel Donald McGahn II personally advised Kavanaugh to show senators his outrage in the hearings.
(More Brett Kavanaugh stories.)

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