Utah Sen. Mike Lee is quietly trying to help head off mass resignations of Trump administration officials who are upset at the president’s egging on of protesters who stormed the U.S. Capitol.
Lee’s office confirmed on Friday that he called national security adviser Robert O’Brien and White House counsel Pat Cipollone and urged them to stay on the job through Jan. 20 to help with the presidential transition and to keep the Trump White House on track in its final days.
“Now more than ever the American people need strong and honorable people in the White House these final two weeks of President Trump’s term,” said Conn Carroll, spokesperson for Lee. “No one is properly served if the president is deprived of good counsel from these key positions.”
Among those who have resigned so far are Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao (who is married to Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, whom Trump has attacked in recent days) and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.
Lee and the conservatives with whom he is working are not the only senators urging key officials to stay on for the 12 days remaining in Trump’s term.
For example, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said in a news conference on Thursday, “To those who believe you should leave your post now to make a statement, I would urge you not” to do that.
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.V., also issued a similar statement Thursday.
“I urge the good men and women honorably serving at all levels of the federal government to please stay at their post for the protection of our democracy,” he said. “The actions of a rogue President will not and should not reflect on you. Instead, your patriotism and commitment to the greater good of our country will be reaffirmed.”
Lee’s maneuvering comes after he voted “Hell no” instead of just “no” against a Trump-supported challenge to electoral votes — shortly after order was restored after Trump supporters stormed the Capitol and breached the Senate chamber as senators were rushed to safety elsewhere.
Trump had urged supporters to come to the nation’s capital on Wednesday to protest as electoral votes were counted and told them at a rally that he was robbed in the election. He urged them to march to the Capitol. In an initial video that urged violence to stop, Trump reiterated that he had been robbed and also told the violent group, “We love you. You’re very special.”
Even after the Capitol was stormed, Utah GOP Reps. Chris Stewart and Burgess Owens voted against accepting electoral votes. Lee, Sen. Mitt Romney and Reps. John Curtis and Blake Moore voted to uphold results of the election.
On MSNBC on Friday, former GOP Rep. Denver Riggleman said he spoke with Owens about violence at the Capitol. “He told me that Antifa was involved in the storming of the capitol, that we should be looking at Antifa,” a loose collection of left groups, rather than at Trump supporters. Owens’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Also Stewart — who has been silent about whom is to blame for the Capitol violence — tweeted Friday, “The perpetrators responsible for this week’s attack must be found and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. What they did was nothing but violent thuggery.”
Meanwhile, Romney and Curtis have been especially critical of Trump, saying he incited the violence.
“What happened here today was an insurrection, incited by the president of the United States,” Romney said in a Senate speech.
Curtis tweeted, “What happened was an act of domestic terrorism inspired and encouraged by our President.”
Also, Moore said in an interview that he was “frustrated and disheartened” with Trump for “disparaging Vice President [Mike] Pence for doing the duty that he was supposed to,” and for posting a video as rioters were storming the Capitol that “started with comments about the election and election fraud. That’s not the time. That’s not what we need out of presidential leadership.”
