From Capitol Hill, CNN reporter Manu Raju reported that while House and Senate GOP leaders fall in line to endorse the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump, a number of “rank-and-file members won’t say if they’ll endorse him.”
[Related: Gov. Chris Sununu “Kisses the Ring,” Flips On Trump]
Below is a clip of Raju asking six Republicans lawmakers if they’ll endorse Trump, they are: Reps. Tom Kean, Jr. (NJ), Mike Lawler (NY), Brian Fitzpatrick (PA), Dan Newhouse (WA), and Senators Bill Cassidy (LA) and Todd Young (IN).
As House and Senate GOP leaders fall in line behind Trump, a number of rank-and-file members won’t say if they’ll endorse him. pic.twitter.com/k6FP31V2g1
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) March 11, 2024
While Kean walked away from Raju without acknowledging the question, Lawler said: “Look, at the end of the day, this is about the American people. They will determine who the next president of the United States is, not me, not anyone in this House or chamber.”
Lawler, who represents New York’s 17th District, is running for re-election against his predecessor, Democrat Mondaire Jones (one of the first two openly gay Black members of Congress in history with fellow New Yorker, Rep. Ritchie Torres, who was also elected in 2021.)
When the Supreme Court ruled unanimously (9-0) to allow Trump to be kept on the Colorado ballot, while being accused of being an insurrectionist, Lawler wrote: “Regardless of one’s view of the former President, this is the right decision to ensure a free and fair election and provide the people with the opportunity to deliver the final verdict.”
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is unfazed by Lawler dodging an endorsement of Trump.
Spokesperson Elie Dougherty said last week: “Mike Lawler, Marc Molinaro, and Donald Trump are collectively pushing a dangerous agenda that will harm New York families” and cites the support of a national abortion ban and plans to slash Social Security and Medicare. Dougherty added: “New Yorkers will hold Lawler and Molinaro accountable for their unabashed extremism in November.”