Trump suggestion of ‘termination’ of Constitution draws few GOP rebukes - The Washington Post

Trump’s online posts Saturday — including a connection successful which helium wrote that “UNPRECEDENTED FRAUD REQUIRES UNPRECEDENTED CURE!” — represented a important escalation successful his attacks connected American institutions and antiauthoritarian norms, 1 that scholars said indispensable beryllium heeded arsenic a motion of however acold helium is consenting to spell to regain power.

“A Massive Fraud of this benignant and magnitude allows for the termination of each rules, regulations, and articles, adjacent those recovered successful the Constitution,” Trump posted connected the Truth Social platform. “Our large ‘Founders’ did not want, and would not condone, False & Fraudulent Elections!”

But lone a fistful of Republican lawmakers person joined the White House and Democrats successful condemning Trump’s assertions. Representatives for House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) did not respond connected Sunday to requests for comment.

Last month, McCarthy announced that Republicans would work each connection of the Constitution retired large connected the level of the House erstwhile the GOP takes power of the enclosure successful January.

Some GOP lawmakers who were asked connected Sunday governmental shows astir Trump’s latest missive said they disagreed with the erstwhile president. However, astir inactive hesitated to accidental that they would reason Trump if helium becomes the GOP’s 2024 statesmanlike nominee.

Rep. David Joyce (R-Ohio), seat of the Republican Governance Group, avoided answering straight erstwhile asked ABC’s “This Week” astir Trump’s comments, saying helium “didn’t marque a wont of speaking retired connected his tweet du jour” erstwhile Trump was successful office. When pressed by big George Stephanopoulos, Joyce said helium would “support whoever the Republican nominee is” — but didn’t deliberation Trump would “be capable to get there.”

“Well, archetypal off, helium hasn’t — helium has nary quality to suspend the Constitution,” Joyce said. “You know, helium says a batch of things, but that doesn’t mean that it’s ever going to happen.”

Laurence H. Tribe, a law instrumentality prof astatine Harvard Law School, said determination has been a legitimate, intelligence statement among law scholars astir whether the flaws successful the nation’s founding documents are truthful cardinal that determination should beryllium a caller law convention.

However, what Trump is engaging successful is “not debate, but destruction,” Tribe said successful an interview. “What he’s doing is openly shrieking successful desperation that thing that stands successful the mode of his becoming all-powerful ought to beryllium swept away.”

Trump past period announced his reelection run for president, aft a fig of Trump-backed candidates mislaid cardinal races successful the midterm elections, complicating questions wrong the Republican Party astir however to navigate their narration with the erstwhile president.

Although Tribe acknowledged that Trump has said galore outrageous things that should not ever bid attention, helium does not judge this latest connection should beryllium brushed off, peculiarly aft Trump’s baseless claims astir the 2020 predetermination led to a pro-Trump mob storming the U.S. Capitol connected Jan. 6, 2021, successful an effort to halt the certification of Joe Biden’s electoral win.

“It’s a distinctive statement. It benignant of says the quiescent portion retired large — that helium has nary reverence for the country, for thing different than himself,” Tribe said. “This is similar saying, ‘You privation to spot an insurrection? I’ll amusement you an insurrection. I’ll conscionable teardrop the full happening up.’ ”

Trump’s defenders connected Sunday moved to tamp down the controversy. A Republican operative adjacent to the ex-president, who spoke connected the information of anonymity to sermon backstage conversations, argued the station did not virtually advocator oregon telephone for terminating the Constitution.

When asked to clarify however Trump was not astatine slightest advocating for the Constitution’s termination, the operative said, “He’s making a examination of the unprecedented quality of Big Tech meddling successful the 2020 predetermination to payment Joe Biden with the unprecedented enactment of terminating the Constitution,” suggesting without grounds that exertion platforms had tipped the scales for Biden successful 2020.

Trump’s posts connected Saturday came a time aft Twitter’s caller owner, Elon Musk, claimed helium would exposure however Twitter engaged successful “free code suppression” successful the run-up to the 2020 election. But his “Twitter Files” did not amusement that the tech elephantine bent to the volition of Democrats.

Some GOP members were stronger successful their rebukes of Trump’s comments. On CBS’s “Face the Nation,” Rep. Michael Turner (R-Ohio) said helium “absolutely” condemned Trump’s remarks but emphasized determination remained a agelong governmental process to spell earlier Trump could beryllium considered a 2024 front-runner.

“I vehemently disagree with the connection that Trump has made. Trump has made, you know, a 1000 statements successful which I disagree,” Turner said. He added that voters “certainly are going to instrumentality into information a connection similar this arsenic they measure a candidate.”

Trump’s comments prompted a stern rebuke from the White House and from respective Democrats, arsenic good arsenic from Republicans who person fallen from grace wrong their enactment for their longtime criticisms of Trump. Reps. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) called Trump an enemy of the Constitution, and Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) questioned however their chap Republicans could proceed to enactment him.

“With the erstwhile President calling to propulsion speech the constitution, not a azygous blimpish tin legitimately enactment him, and not a azygous protagonist tin beryllium called a conservative,” Kinzinger tweeted Sunday, portion tagging successful his connection the Twitter handles of McCarthy, arsenic good arsenic Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) and Jim Jordan (R-Ohio). “This is insane. Trump hates the constitution.”

Congressman-elect Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) echoed respective different Republicans successful their responses to Trump, saying it was mostly clip to look ahead, alternatively than re-litigate the 2020 election.

“The Constitution is acceptable for a reason, to support the rights of each American. And truthful I surely don’t endorse [Trump’s] connection oregon that sentiment,” Lawler said connected CNN’s “State of the Union.” “I deliberation the erstwhile president would beryllium well-advised to absorption connected the aboriginal if helium is going to tally for president again.”

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), who is acceptable to go the Democratic number person successful January, waved Trump’s comments disconnected arsenic yet different “extraordinary” connection from the erstwhile president and yet an individuality situation for the GOP.

“I thought it was a unusual statement, but the Republicans are going to person to enactment retired their issues with the erstwhile president and determine whether they’re going to interruption from him and instrumentality to immoderate semblance of reasonableness oregon proceed to thin into the extremism, not conscionable of Trump, but of Trumpism,” Jeffries said connected ABC’s “This Week.”

Several apical Republicans — including erstwhile vice president Mike Pence — issued uncommon rebukes of Trump precocious aft helium dined with the White nationalist Nick Fuentes and the rapper Ye, some of whom person a past of antisemitic remarks.

On Sunday, Israel Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu said helium believed Trump “probably understands” that the meal crossed a enactment but hesitated to responsibility Trump oregon his rhetoric for a emergence successful antisemitism. He instead blamed societal media for magnifying specified divisions.

“There are many, galore blessings of the net age, but it comes besides with a curse. And the curse is polarization,” Netanyahu said connected NBC’s “Meet the Press.” Antisemitism, helium said, is “the oldest hatred, arsenic I say, 1 of the oldest hatreds of humanity. It was incorrect then, it’s incorrect now. But it’s got an other beingness astir apt successful the United States and successful different countries by the property of the internet.”

Isaac Arnsdorf, Karoun Demirjian, Toluse Olorunnipa and Missy Ryan contributed to this report.