MSNBC’s Jen Psaki slammed Republicans for attempting to portray themselves as the “party of family values… with a straight face” as she called out several GOP lawmakers for their responses to a Manhattan jury finding former President Donald Trump liable of sexual abuse on Tuesday. (You can listen to more from Psaki below)
Psaki, a former White House press secretary in the Biden administration, named the party’s “one big problem” ahead of 2024: Trump, whose comments about E. Jean Carroll brought laughter and applause to a CNN town hall on Wednesday.
“It was definitely disturbing but unfortunately not necessarily surprising. Because why should Republican voters take Trump’s wrongdoing seriously when the party leaders never call him out?” asked Psaki.
“If someone asks you ‘Do you stand by somebody who is found liable for sexual abuse?’ the answer should be some version of no. But outside of a handful of Republican lawmakers, they have – by and large – pretty much avoided criticizing the former president.”
Psaki proceeded to knock Sens. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) and Tommy Tuberville (R-Al.), the latter of whom said the verdict makes him “want to vote for Trump twice.”
“You heard that right. Trump’s sexual abuse makes the senator want to vote for him twice,” Psaki added.
The host went on to bash former Vice President Mike Pence, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) for their commentary before focusing her attention on 2024 Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, who sidestepped a question on how the verdict impacts her party.
“Well, that was a pretty accurate summary of the legal process. I will certainly give her that,” replied Psaki.
“But what I didn’t hear was any kind of condemnation of someone who was just found liable for sexual abuse.”