In a brutal new episode of AZCentral’s The Gaggle podcast, Arizona Republic reporter Yvonne Wingett Sanchez lays out unelected Senator Martha McSally’s “tough spot” on impeachment. A majority of Arizonans support a fair trial with witnesses and evidence, but McSally is more focused on “staying… as close as you can to Trump” and pleasing Mitch McConnell and the GOP donors who poured millions into Arizona to prop her up in a race she still lost. Meanwhile, Wingett Sanchez notes, McSally’s “disdain” for the reporters holding her accountable is evident as she refuses to say whether she will vote to allow testimony from John Bolton and other key witnesses.
For months, McSally has “dodged and weaved when it comes to basic questions” and now is paying the price. New polling from Morning Consult shows her among the 10 most unpopular senators in the country, and editorial boards and voters across Arizona continue to slam the unelected senator for her “profiles in cowardice” on impeachment.
From today’s episode of The Gaggle:
“[McSally] was asked — repeatedly — by local press if she wanted to hear from additional witnesses. She sidesteps the question. When asked by a CNN reporter, Manu Raju, as to whether or not she wants to hear from additional witnesses, she calls him a ‘liberal hack.’
“That goes viral; we all know how that ends. The bottom line is she has sidestepped answering this question, only saying that she wants to see a ‘fair trial.’ What is fair, right? That’s what it’s going to come down to.
“So she’s now going to be confronted with going on the record with what constitutes a fair trial. Does that include hearing from former National Security Advisor John Bolton? Does that include taking a look at the manuscript of the book that was, you know, submitted to the White House for review?”
[…]
“In 2018, McConnell’s political action committee poured in $20 million — estimated $20 million — into [McSally’s] Senate campaign. And she lost that race… it’s important to note too that McConnell was working behind the scenes to try to get McSally appointed to the Senate seat… So, she owes a lot, not just to him but to the people who are donating to that PAC.”
[…]
“Seems like [McSally] has really sort of leaned in on supporting the president, his agenda, and casting her lot with him. And his elective fortunes, seem like, will go the longest way to determining how viable she is as well.”
“There’s a lot of people who think… at some point, perhaps, [McSally] will pivot. She will try to build a coalition of independent voters and moderate Republicans. I don’t think that that’s what we’re going to see from her. I think what we’re seeing is who she is and how she will play in 2020. And that is, doubling down, staying close to Trump — as close as you can to Trump… and hoping and praying that Republicans can expand the number of voters who turn out in 2020.”
“Every now and then you will see her try to take a stateswoman-like approach to answering questions by the press — who she clearly disdains — about health care, or questions about the impeachment trial, questions about prescription drug prices. And she wants to be seen as pragmatic and moderate, but the reality is, we’ve all looked at her voting record. She votes overwhelmingly with Trump and his agenda. Like 96 percent of the time.”
[…]
“It feels like Martha McSally’s position is sort of already determined. She has to stay close to the president, she has to stay close to the Senate majority leader, despite her ties to any witnesses that may be relevant to all of this. She really kind of is in a tough place, especially politically, that she’s on the ballot in November.”
Listen to The Gaggle here.
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