Trump conveys threats to Senate Republicans ahead of his impeachment trial

Former US President Donald Trump has conveyed messages to Senate Republicans, indirectly warning them not to vote in favor of impeachment.

The US House of Representatives on Monday formally charged Trump for “incitement of insurrection” in a deadly riot on Capitol Hill earlier this month, putting his second impeachment trial into motion.

Brian Jack, former White House political director to the president, spent the weekend informing Republican senators that Trump intended to keep his imprint on the GOP, according to the POLITICO on Monday.

Trump wanted the word to get around he was still a Republican — and for many -- still the leader of his party, it said.

The article pointed out that this message was a fresh warning to Republicans pursuing Trump's conviction that the former president might wreak vengeance against them.

The ex-president has already threatened his critics in the Senate GOP with a scheme to start a third party

Despite Trump's threats, some of the Republican senators have used strong words to condemn his role in the Jan. 6 riot on Capitol Hill carried out by Trump loyalists.

Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), who is retiring next year, has conceded that Trump committed impeachable offenses.

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), who was the sole GOP senator who voted to convict Trump in the first impeachment trial, said Trump had the potential to influence the Republican Party. However, his influence “was significantly diminished by his perpetuation of the 'Big Lie.'

Trump claimed that he won the 2020 presidential election. He insisted that his victory was stolen from him, repeatedly telling his supporters to "stop the steal". 

Trump's claim of winning the tarnished election lacked sound proof. I don’t think the facts have borne that out,” Romney added. “Clinging to the lie will diminish his influence over time.”

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