Moments after 12 GOP senators joined their Democratic colleagues to vote for a resolution blocking President Trump from declaring a national emergency to build a border wall, CNN political commentator Ana Navarro applauded those Republicans who bucked the president, suggesting they risked extreme consequences by doing so.
Asked by CNN anchor Brooke Baldwin about the list of Republican senators who voted against the president, Navarro exclaimed “bravo” while stating that Congress needs to remember that it’s a “co-equal branch of government.”
Noting that nearly every Republican was against President Obama’s executive actions on immigration, the fervent Never-Trump Republican asserted that her party’s lawmakers needed to show they have consistency and aren’t hypocrites. At the same time, she called the GOP lawmakers who pushed back Thursday brave because of what they’ll likely face from the president.
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“I will tell you it does take a great deal of courage to go against Donald Trump,” the former GOP strategist said. “We saw what he did in 2018 with Republicans that were not loyal to him, whether it was [former GOP Reps.] Mia Love or Carlos Curbelo.”
She continued: “Not only did he participate in beating them, he then danced on their political grave. Hell, he was still dancing on John McCain's literal grave after he died because John McCain was not loyal to him. This guy's loyalty test is Italian mafia-style, so going against him has consequences.”
(“Italian mafia-style” is certainly an interesting turn of phrase a day after Gambino family crime boss Francesco Cali was shot dead outside of his Staten Island home.)
CNN correspondent Dana Bash said that she “totally” agreed with Navarro, adding that this was a “pivotal moment in the Trump presidency” and that this is unique because it is a “real test” of “constitution and consistency versus party and loyalty to the president.”
As for the president’s reaction to the vote, he tweeted out Thursday afternoon that he is looking forward to “VETOING” the resolution.
“I thank all of the Strong Republicans who voted to support Border Security and our desperately needed WALL!” Trump added in a not-so-veiled shot at the Republicans who voted against him.
