GOP's Murkowski: This Criticism of Trump Is 'Overdue'

President Trump now has a critic among Republican senators whose name isn't Romney. Alaska's Lisa Murkowski on Thursday praised former defense chief Jim Mattis' strong condemnation of Trump's actions in response to the George Floyd protests, reports the Hill. “I thought General Mattis’ words were true and honest and necessary and overdue,” Murkowski told reporters. (Mattis accused Trump of trying to divide, rather than unite, Americans.) When she was asked if she could vote for Trump in November, Murkowski responded, “I am struggling with it. I have struggled with it for a long time." She added that she would continue to work with the White House. The Washington Post describes Murkowski's comments as a "big break" with Trump.

“When I saw Gen. Mattis’s comments yesterday I felt like perhaps we’re getting to the point where we can be more honest with the concerns we might hold internally and have the courage of our convictions and speak up,” she said. The Must Read Alaska blog has some context on Murkowski's politics: "Conservative Republicans in Alaska have had trouble reconciling her stances on various issues with their own values time and again, but she pulls broad support from the middle of the political spectrum." Indeed, this wouldn't be the first time Murkowski has angered Trump. (The president responded to Mattis' criticism with some of his own.)