DEMS/GOP/IMPEACHMENT/SENATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump is intensely monitoring his standing among Senate Republicans as Democrats’ impeachment inquiry ramps up, according to senators who have been in contact with the president and White House officials. And with the microscope on their every move, some in the Republican Conference are taking a more proactive approach to demonstrate their loyalty. For example, take Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.), who called up Trump last Friday to let him know that he and his voters have Trump’s back…Trump is monitoring comments from his GOP colleagues, Braun said, but added that Trump didn’t seem worried about a GOP mutiny over the rapidly unfolding Ukraine scandal: ‘I sense a feeling of confidence.’ Still, as the prospect of an impeachment trial becomes ever-more likely, Trump is turning on anyone who criticizes him — and lavishing his defenders with praise. It’s a strategy Trump has long deployed but is becoming more crucial as he relies on Senate Republicans to keep him in office.”
–Burgess Everett, “Trump keeps tabs on GOP senators as impeachment threat looms,” Politico, October 17, 2019 5:07 am