McConnell ignores Trump’s arrest

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell remained silent on Tuesday’s arrest of former President Donald Trump, opting instead to release a statement on Finland’s entry into NATO.

Trump surrendered to the Manhattan District Attorney’s office on Tuesday afternoon after a grand jury voted to impeach him last week. The decision comes after a long-term investigation by the Bureau and District Attorney Alvin Bragg into Trump’s alleged attempts to hide hush money payments made on his behalf in 2016 to keep adult film star Stormy Daniels silent about a 2006 affair between the two.

Trump has denied any affair ever took place and has maintained his innocence. It is the first such indictment against a former president in United States history.

While many Republicans-elect, like Georgia Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene, defended Trump after the impeachment, one of the most powerful among them remained remarkably calm: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. The Kentucky Republican has not yet officially commented on Trump’s impending arrest, opting Tuesday to instead focus on Finland’s recent admission into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

“The accession of the Republic of Finland to NATO is outstanding news, further strengthening what is already the most successful alliance in human history,” McConnell said in an official statement. “I am pleased to welcome Finland to this transatlantic alliance and congratulate the Finnish people, President Niinistö and the NATO Secretary General [Jens] Stoltenberg on this historic occasion.”

Finland’s entry into NATO was fueled by Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine and the destructive conflict that has raged there since, adding to fears among neighboring countries in Europe. By joining the organization, Finland strengthens its alliances with Western countries like the US and the UK, which is in direct contrast to Russia’s stated political goals.

Since Finland is directly west of Russia, the move has also roughly doubled the border the latter country shares with NATO member nations.

As journalist Igor Bobic noted on Twitter, almost no Republican in the Senate has commented on Trump’s impeachment since news broke. McConnell’s relationship with Trump has soured significantly since his departure in 2021, with the Senate Minority Leader recently blaming the former president’s influence for the Republican Party’s historically disappointing performance in the 2022 midterm elections.

news week emailed McConnell’s communications team for comment.