June 04, 2020 02:00 PM UTC

Rob Portman Cracks Door To Calling Out Trump

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• by: Colorado Pols

The Hill reports on another Republican colleague of Sen. Cory Gardner’s daring to take a teensy baby step in the direction of accountability for President Donald Trump as outrage over Trump’s handling the unrest over police violence grows:

“I think the president has done a pretty good job on his prepared remarks because he has condemned what happened,” [Sen. Rob] Portman told reporters. “He has applauded the peaceful demonstrations, his prepared remarks, and he has condemned the violence.

“But [it’s] his tone and words kind of in between those more formal presentations that have not unified people,” he said. [Pols emphasis]

Asked whether the president should shift his tone, he said, “Yeah, I do.”

“I think he’s probably getting that message from a lot of people,” he added.

Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio isn’t up for re-election until 2022, which makes all the difference in the world in terms of latitude to criticize the Offender-in-Chief. But that won’t matter to Coloradans observing Sen. Cory Gardner’s continuing silence while Trump’s outrages pile up and seeing the same old complicity. Loyalty to Trump is Gardner’s brand now, and he risks as many votes by trying to change that perception as he does sticking with Trump to the bitter end. When you’re down by deepening double digits, every base vote lost is doom-sealing.

Some Republicans, other the other hand, have a reputation to protect beyond November 3.