Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) said former President Donald Trump’s indictment on charges related to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and the 2020 presidential election contained “very serious allegations.”
Trump was charged with four felony counts surrounding the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol, which include conspiracy to defraud the United States and obstruction early Thursday evening.
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Unlike other Republican lawmakers who jumped to Trump’s defense and argued the latest indictment was evidence of a partisan justice system, the Alaska senator reiterated that she believes the indictment “has only reinforced that the former President played a key role in instigating the riots” on Jan. 6.
Murkowski was one of seven Republican senators who voted to convict Trump on an impeachment charge of inciting an insurrection at the Capitol. It was the most bipartisan impeachment vote in U.S. history, but the trial concluded with his acquittal because the Senate failed to reach the two-thirds threshold needed to convict.
In early 2021, I voted to impeach former President Trump based on clear evidence that he attempted to overturn the 2020 election after losing it.
— Sen. Lisa Murkowski (@lisamurkowski) August 2, 2023
“In early 2021, I voted to impeach former President Trump based on clear evidence that he attempted to overturn the 2020 election after losing it,” Murkowski posted on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
“Additional evidence presented since then, including by the January 6 Commission, has only reinforced that the former President played a key role in instigating the riots, resulting in physical violence and desecration of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021,” Murkowski added.
The Alaska Republican emphasized that the former president should be afforded the presumption of innocence ahead of the trial but encouraged the public to read the indictment.
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“I encourage everyone to read the indictment, to understand the very serious allegations being made in this case,” Murkowski posted at the end of her thread on X.
In addition to Murkowski, GOP Sens. Richard Burr, Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Susan Collins (R-ME), Mitt Romney (R-UT), Ben Sasse, and Pat Toomey voted to convict the former president. Murkowski was the only senator who voted to convict Trump that faced reelection the year following the impeachment trial and won reelection to a fourth full term. Burr, Toomey, and Sasse retired, Romney is up for reelection in 2024, and Cassidy and Collins are up for reelection in 2026.
