Republican senators promise to block Biden agenda in response to Trump verdict

While Democrats have been giving each other high fives since former President Donald Trump's guilty verdict last week, a number of powerful Republicans are pledging to bring about a series of consequences they may not have anticipated.

Led by Utah Sen. Mike Lee, a group of GOP senators dispatched a letter last week vowing to take all possible steps to block progress on President Joe Biden's agenda, a decision they said was spurred by what they view as the corruption and blatant injustice involved in the prosecution of Trump, as Fox News reports.

Lee lets loose

Among those spearheading the initiative, Lee did not hold back about his frustration with the treatment Trump has received, something he attributes to a broader Democrat-led strategy conducted with the backing of the White House.

Joined by Sens. JD Vance, Marsha Blackburn, Tommy Tuberville, Eric Schmitt, Roger Marshall, Rick Scott, Marco Rubio, Ron Johnson, and Josh Hawley, Lee stated, “As a Senate Republican conference, we are unwilling to aid and abet this White House in its project to tear this country apart.”

To that end, Lee explained, Republican senators plan to obstruct any and all Biden nominees or appropriations measures as a way to express their outrage.

“Strongly worded statements are not enough. Those who turned our judicial system into a political cudgel must be held accountable,” he added.

Specifically, the senator stated, “We are no longer cooperating with any Democrat legislative priorities or nominations, and we invite all concerned senators to join in our stand.”

Administration responds

Lee's proclamation was met with disdain by the Biden White House, with spokesperson Andrew Bates tapped to provide a response.

Bates opined, “President Biden knows the American people rightly expect their leaders in Washington to put the needs of constituents above partisanship, and to protect the rule of law -- not to sabotage government or undercut law enforcement based on extreme, debunked conspiracy theories.”

“The radical and hyper partisan threats made in this letter would harm the American people in the name of politics and proven lies,” Bates continued. “These senators should reconsider putting themselves above their country.”

Others join the fray

It was not just the signatories to the Senate GOP letter who made their positions on the Trump verdict clear last week, with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) calling Thursday “a shameful day in American history.”

House Judiciary Committee chair Jim Jordan concurred, calling the New York verdict “a travesty of justice” that shows what happens when our justice system is weaponized by partisan prosecutors,” but whether the outcome is something that will be reversed on the former president's inevitable appeal, only time will tell.