Two Republican senators who turned against Donald Trump after the release of a damning 2005 video appear to have reversed their positions.
The first to do was Sen. Deb Fischer of Nebraska, who had called for Trump to step aside and cede the GOP nomination to his running mate, Gov. Mike Pence. She now says she will vote for Trump.
Trump Campaign Manager Berates 'Wishy-Washy' Republican Leaders"I plan to vote for Mr. Trump and Mr. Pence on Nov. 8," she said Tuesday on Lincoln radio station KLIN.
"I put out a statement ... with regard to Mr. Trump's comments," she said of her initial response to the video, in which Trump boasts of grabbing women without their consent.
"I felt they were disgusting. I felt they were unacceptable, and I never said I was not voting for our Republican ticket.
"He decided he would not step aside. I respect his decision ... I support the Republican ticket, and it's a Trump-Pence ticket."
Her chief of staff, Joe Hack, confirmed today that those comments reflect her position.
"On Friday the senator expressed her disgust at Mr. Trump's comments and suggested he step aside. He did not," Hack said in a statement. "She did not say in her statement that she was not voting for the ticket, nor did she say she was writing anyone in. Indeed, she plans to vote for the Republican ticket on Nov. 8, which has been her consistent position."
Sen. John Thune of South Dakota also reportedly stressed today that he's voting for the Republican ticket, including Trump, after his initial call for Trump to step aside.
During a tour of a research facility in Lead, South Dakota, The Rapid City Journal reported, Thune said the 2005 recording was "more offensive than anything I’ve ever seen," but that won't stop him from voting for Trump.
"He has a lot of work to do, I think, to win this election. But I’m certainly not going to vote for Hillary Clinton," the Republican said, according to the newspaper.
Fischer and Thune had condemned the comments Saturday, a day after the release of the 2005 video, in which Trump crudely talks about women during an "Access Hollywood" interview.
Thune released a similar tweet on the same day.