Thune told reporters on Friday that “this is an issue that’s incredibly consequential, incredibly rare historically, and very precedent setting. So, our members are — this is a big vote, they’re thinking about it.”

“I think now that we’re locked in to do it, we’ll give air to the objections and people can have their day in court and we’ll hear everybody out and we’ll vote,” he continued. “Like I said, I think in the end, I don’t think anything changes.”

“We are letting people vote their conscience,” Thune said, with several Republican members saying there’s not much they can do to stop Hawley from objecting…

Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska blasted Trump for encouraging a 2022 primary challenge against Thune. She told CNN on Friday, “I think it’s quite interesting that he has demanded a loyalty test from so many Republicans and then when they are loyal to him — and there is one incident, one statement — and he is the first one to throw those loyal individuals under the bus. That’s not loyalty as I know loyalty.”