Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah responded to Donald Trump’s felony conviction with a predictable tantrum, circulating a conspiratorial letter blaming the White House for a case it had nothing to do with, and vowing to punish the Senate with procedural roadblocks. Lee then looked for GOP senators who’d stand with him. It didn’t take long for some of the institution’s most far-right members to attach their names to the Utahan’s letter, even as Senate Republican leaders kept their distance.
What he soon discovered, however, was that there was no real appetite for such a candidate — leading the senator to quickly switch gears: The Floridian, pandering to a base that appeared fond of buffoons, started telling audiences that Trump, among other things, might urinate on himself. Rubio also mocked Trump’s hair and face, and even made vulgar jokes about Trump’s genitals.