CNN chief legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin blasted Republican Sens. Jeff Flake (Ariz.) and Ben Sasse (Neb.), saying they talk about standing up to President Trump but “do nothing.”
Speaking on CNN Friday morning, Toobin said there is so little dissent in the GOP that Flake and Sasse get attention for speaking up despite barely deviating from the status quo.
“They never vote against the president,” Toobin said. “They never actually take a stand.”
{mosads}Toobin made the remarks when discussing outgoing U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley’s speech Thursday night that contrasted Trump’s claims that Democrats are “evil.” Haley said that “in America, our opponents are not evil.”
Toobin said comments such as Haley’s and past concern from Flake and Sasse are noise and that Republicans are not actually taking a stand against Trump.
Flake has been critical of the president and did not support or endorse Trump during his 2016 presidential race. The outgoing Arizona senator said last week that he hopes “that somebody does run in the primary against the president.”
Flake is retiring from the Senate in January, and Haley announced her resignation from her post as U.N. ambassador last week. She plans to formally step down at the end of the year.
Haley said she plans to campaign for Trump during his 2020 reelection bid.
Sasse has often spoken out against the president’s use of Twitter and personal attacks against opponents, most recently saying “that’s not the way men act” in regards to Trump’s “Horseface” tweet disparaging adult-film actress Stormy Daniels.
Sasse is up for reelection in 2020.