A throughline is reportedly developing in the reaction of Republican lawmakers to the controversies piling up around President Donald Trump.

The president and his legal team have reportedly asked the Department of Justice for $230 million to settle damage claims related to his past federal prosecutions. However, House Speaker Mike Johnson responded firmly, saying, “Never happen again, and for that, there needs to be accountability.”

Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) conceded that he had “optics concerns” about Trump’s move. Meanwhile, Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) stated, “I decide based on what I hear from my constituents.” Lummis was among many GOP lawmakers who claimed they “never heard about” Trump’s demand for $230 million from their constituents.

Senator Ted Budd (R-NC) indicated that he and other Republicans “look through the lenses of our state” — in his case, focusing on hurricane recovery in western North Carolina — before criticizing the president. “I want to make sure that those he’s appointed to his cabinet are actually doing that,” Budd added.

On the other hand, Democrats told MSNBC that their Republican colleagues are primarily afraid of going against Trump. Representative Jared Huffman (D-CA) explained, “Trump’s wrath if they cross him badly, and their own voters who are rightfully pissed off right now over the Argentina bailout. That’s why they’re mostly silent, and when they do speak out, it’s on something like Argentina where their base is leaving them no choice, and where Trump probably won’t end their careers over just this one thing.”
https://www.rawstory.com/donald-trump-corruption-2674225593/