'Showman without principle': Lisa Murkowski trashes Trump and the 'MAGA party'
At least one GOP senator is starting to feel out of place within the party.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) told CNN's Kaitlan Collins on Thursday that the Republican Party she grew up supporting has become a party completely controlled by Donald Trump and the MAGA movement. Her comments come at a time when the Republican Party appears to be fracturing over the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case files.
Collins asked Murkowski about a line in her memoir where she described Sarah Palin as a "showman without principle" and said Palin opened the doors for Trump to become president.
"Clearly, he's focused on identifying where that populism streak is in people," Murkowski said, adding that Trump appears to be expanding the base by reaching out to groups that serve a temporary political purpose.
Murkowski has been one of the Republicans under pressure to support Trump's policy agenda. She cast a consequential vote to pass Trump's domestic spending bill, despite the large cuts to Medicaid it contained, and has faced public pressure to support several of his nominees.
Despite that pressure from her caucus, Murkowski said her values are still aligned with the Republican Party, even if it seems to be disappearing."I think the Republican Party has changed," Murkowski said. "I think the Republican Party is more of a MAGA party, and I don't fit well within those contours."
"My values are still the same," Murkowski added.