Thrasher targets McConnell to oppose Trump impeachment

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Don Thrasher

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Nelson County GOP Chair Don Thrasher is organizing a revolt against Kentucky’s most influential lawmaker in Washington, D.C., who also holds much of the reins of power in the state.

Thrasher has organized a special-called meeting of the Republican Party of Kentucky to pressure U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell to “fully support Pres. Trump and condemn the superfluous and divisive second impeachment of Pres. Trump,” according to a media release issued by Thrasher Sunday.

Thrasher said he has garnered the support of over 30 county chairs and vice-chairs throughout the state and is calling for “an immediate meeting of the state party leadership.”

RPK Chair Mac Brown has told Thrasher he is working on the logistics to hold the special meeting.

Thrasher shared a message between himself and Brown in which Brown acknowledged receipt of a petition and the minimum number of names required, but urged Thrasher to submit additional names “in case some individuals withdraw” during the signature verification process.

McConnell was the Senate Majority Leader for six years, but the November election shifted the balance of the Senate and control to Democrats following the Jan. 5 runoff elections in Georgia. McConnell is set to step down as Majority Leader on Wednesday, before the Senate can take up the trial of President Donald Trump on the single article of impeachment by the House on the charge of incitement of insurrection that led to the deadly riots and attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

While Trump will no longer be in office when the Senate takes up the trial, some Constitutional scholars say if he is convicted by two-thirds of senators then he could be barred from running for a second term.

Washington media outlets have reported that McConnell is open to impeachment, and some, based on anonymous sources, have claimed McConnell has told associates that he believes Trump committed impeachable offenses and is pleased that Democrats are impeaching the president. Other reports say McConnell has not made up his mind and is giving his Republican colleagues and fellow jurors free rein to vote their conscience.

The Washington Post is tracking where senators stand on conviction based on their public statements. As of Monday, 41 were classified as supporting impeachment, all Democrats except for two independents, and 21 opposed, all Republicans. The Post listed six Democrats and 11 Republicans as “open to conviction,” and 21 whose stances were “unknown” that included three Democrats.

The Post listed McConnel in the “open to conviction” category based on a Jan. 13 statement in which he said, “While the press has been full of speculation, I have not made a final decision on how I will vote and I intend to listen to the legal arguments when they are presented in the Senate.”

But just after noon on Tuesday, McCconnell spoke more forcefully from the Senate floor against the president.

“The mob was fed lies. They were provoked by the President and other powerful people. And they tried to use fear and violence to stop a specific proceeding of the first branch of the federal government which they did not like,” McConnell said.

Kentucky’s other U.S. Senator, Rand Paul, has stated his opposition.

To reach the required number to convict Trump it would take at least 17 Republicans if all Democrats and both independents also voted to do so.

Republicans who oppose an impeachment trial after Jan. 20 have given various reasons, but some political watchers have said many of them are factoring in how their votes could affect their re-election chances or even future plans to run for President, especially with the Trump base, a segment of voters who remain intensely loyal to the President.

But McConnell, who is 78 years old, won re-election to a six-year term in November. He has never been reported as aspiring to the presidency and there are questions as to whether he will run again in six years.

While McConnell is arguably the most powerful Republican in Washington, that influence pales in comparison to that which he wields in the state.

Thrasher’s revolt seems targeted on pressuring McConnell at the grassroots level. The local GOP chair has not been shy about challenging the “establishment” Republicans in Nelson County.

“Some are worried about Mitch banning people from local Lincoln Dinners others like the perceived glamour of being in a small position of power. I think it is more important to start telling it like it is! For too long our party officials have either been petrified of losing “perks” or the flip side petrified of McConnell using his power to investigate you or in some cases ruin you. I think it is more important to start telling it like it is!” Thrasher wrote as part of a lengthy Facebook post Saturday.