Priebus Downplays Threats to Senator from Trump Supporters

Reince Priebus, former White House chief of staff and Republican Party chair, addressed concerns from a GOP senator regarding threats from Donald Trump supporters. He framed these threats as a natural outcome of disagreeing with a "popular" president. This response came during an interview on ABC's This Week.

The senator in question, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, has frequently diverged from Trump's stances in Congress. A notable instance was her vote in 2017, along with two other Republicans, which thwarted a GOP plan to dismantle the Affordable Care Act. More recently, she opposed the nomination of Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense.

Murkowski, speaking to local leaders in Alaska, expressed fear of "retaliation" from Trump's supporters due to her opposition to the White House's proposed cuts to federal agencies. She stated that she and others were "afraid" and anxious about voicing their opinions, citing the reality of potential retaliation.

Priebus, now an ABC News contributor, characterized this "retaliation" as a consequence of holding a different opinion than a well-liked president. While offering a mild condemnation of the rhetoric Murkowski has faced, he suggested that any negative consequences, such as challenges at the ballot box, were simply the result of opposing the president.

However, Murkowski's concerns likely extended beyond mere political repercussions. She has stated she does not fear primary challenges from Trump or his associates. Instead, she was likely referring to the actual threats of violence that she and other opponents of Trump, both Republicans and Democrats, have experienced from his supporters.

Murkowski has been the target of numerous violent threats, leading to arrests, particularly since the January 6th attack on Congress in 2021. In 2018, her Facebook page was flooded with threats of violence after she voted against the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Another Republican senator who voiced reservations about Hegseth's nomination also faced violent threats, according to her Democratic colleague, Tammy Duckworth.