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Republican Murkowski Says She's Struggling With Supporting Trump

Associated Press

   WASHINGTON - Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski says she's
   "struggling" over whether she can support President Donald Trump given
   his handling of the virus and race crises roiling the U.S.

   Murkowski said Thursday that she was "thankful" for retired Gen. James
   Mattis' extraordinary rebuke of Trump for politicizing the military.
   Asked about her support of president, Murkowski replied, "I have
   struggled with it for a long time."

   Murkowski retracted her endorsement of Trump in 2016 after the "Access
   Hollywood" tape revealed he had bragged about sexually assaulting
   women. She voted to acquit Trump of House impeachment charges earlier
   this year. She spoke Thursday to reporters at the Capitol.
   "Perhaps we're getting to the point where we can be more honest with
   the concerns that we might holdinternally, andhave the courage of our
   own convictions to speak up," Murkowski said. Asked whether she can
   still support Trump, she replied, "I am struggling with it. I have
   struggled with it for a long time." But she said she'd continue to try
   to work with his administration.
   Murkowski's remarks were an acknowledgment of the ongoing choice
   Republicans are forced to make about whether, and for how long, to
   support Trump when his words and actions so often conflict with their
   values and goals. Trump has responded to the police killing of George
   Floyd by calling for more "law and order," rather than addressing at
   any length the racial injustice that lies at the heart of the unrest.
   The nation is on edge, and Election Day looms, with the presidency and
   control of the House and Senate at stake. Trump has made clear that
   consequences for what he considers disloyalty can be steep.

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