President Donald Trump is aiming to replace former Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell—who has often opposed the White House this year—with a loyal supporter. However, insiders indicate that there are growing concerns within Trump’s inner circle regarding a front-runner’s repeated contributions to lawmakers who voted to impeach the president.
Rep. Andy Barr (R-Ky.) has made seven contributions through his leadership PAC to support four House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump in 2021 for allegedly inciting the January 6 Capitol riot, despite Trump urging his supporters to challenge them in primary elections.
At 51, Barr criticized Trump as “irresponsible” and “not blameless,” yet he personally voted against impeaching the 45th president, as reported by the New York Post.
The congressman is currently involved in a three-way race for McConnell’s Senate seat, which has been held by the longtime senator since 1985, competing against former state attorney general Daniel Cameron, 39, and waste management entrepreneur Nate Morris, 44.
Approximately a month after departing from the White House in 2021, the former and future president publicly announced the names of the 10 House Republicans who had joined Democrats in voting to impeach him over his assertions that the 2020 election was stolen, urging his supporters to “eliminate them all.”
In February 2021, Barr contributed $2,500 to then-Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (R-Ohio), who seven months later labeled Trump “a cancer” and declared he would not seek re-election. Barr also continued to support three other Republicans who, along with then-Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), voted to impeach Trump, as reported by The Post.
Through his PAC, Barr contributed $2,000 to then-Rep. John Katko (R-NY) on June 15, 2021; $10,000 to Rep. David Valadao (R-Calif.) in four installments between June 2021 and August 2022; and $3,000 to then-Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-Wash.) in July 2022. The outlet further noted that of the four, only Valadao remains in the House.
“Andy Barr not only held President Trump accountable for the violence that occurred on [Jan. 6, 2021], but he also provided financial support to the Republicans who voted for his impeachment — despite the president having already indicated his intention to target them in the primaries,” stated a veteran adviser to Trump. “I cannot conceive of a more significant affront to the president than that.”
“Everyone within Trump’s inner circle perceives Barr as merely another protégé of McConnell, which suggests that he will not stand by Trump when the situation becomes challenging and truly critical,” another source affiliated with the White House informed The Post.
Loyalty has been a crucial factor in the staffing choices for Trump’s second term, and Barr’s detractors are hopeful that it will also affect the president’s endorsements in the Senate.
On November 5, Trump secured Kentucky by a margin of 30.53 percentage points, establishing himself as a dominant figure in the 2026 primary, as noted by The Post.
Supporters of Barr contend that he has unwaveringly supported the president and sought to create a broad GOP coalition to counter the Biden administration’s policies. They also emphasize that his PAC has made numerous contributions.
Barr’s spokesperson, Alex Bellizzi, underscored the seven-term congressman’s collaboration with Trump and mentioned that Nate Morris contributed $5,000 to former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley on May 20, 2021.
Haley has emerged as Trump’s most formidable primary opponent in 2024, yet on April 12, 2021—shortly before Morris’ contribution—she declared, “I would not run if President Trump ran.”
She subsequently changed her stance and officially initiated her campaign in February 2023, three months after Trump revealed his candidacy, as reported by The Post.
Bellizzi further asserted that Barr is the most viable Republican candidate, noting that Daniel Cameron was defeated in the 2023 Kentucky gubernatorial election by Democrat Andy Beshear by a margin exceeding five points.
“Daniel Cameron was defeated despite receiving President Trump’s endorsement in a state where the president secured a 30-point victory,” stated Barr’s spokesman to The Post. “Nate Morris backed Nikki Haley instead of President Trump after she expressed that the GOP should permanently move on from Trump.
“He endorsed the CEO Diversity Pledge, and his ESG company incurred a loss of $200 million in his last year as CEO, with the company trading at mere pennies on the dollar on the stock market,” the spokesman further remarked.