GOP senators clash as 'Republican on Republican attacks' spill over into public

Two Republican senators took their fight over the SAVE America Act public Thursday, with Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) telling Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) bluntly that he doesn't have the votes.

The exchange, which played out in a series of posts on X, pitted Lee — the bill's chief Senate sponsor — against Cornyn, a co-sponsor who lost his Texas primary to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton last month and will leave the Senate in January. At issue is Lee's push to skip recesses and keep the Senate in session until the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act passes.

The bill cleared the House in February and would require Americans to show documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote and a photo ID to cast a ballot in federal elections. It has 50 votes in the Senate but needs 60 to break a Democratic filibuster.

Cornyn came at Lee by name.

"Mike, I am a co-sponsor and have repeatedly voted for this but you don't have the votes," Cornyn wrote, publicly tagging Majority Leader John Thune. "Try focusing on Democrats instead of Republicans. Republican on Republican attacks are hurting our chances to win the majority in November."

Lee, a Utah Republican, hit back within the hour.

"On what planet is this an attack on Republicans?" he retorted. "We have majority support for the bill. In this rare circumstance, we should put it on the floor and keep debating it until it passes. That's not an attack on Republicans. That's a plan of attack against voter fraud."

"We have the votes to pass it," Lee argued in a series of rapid-fire X posts. "The fact that we don't (yet) have the votes for cloture doesn't mean we couldn't and wouldn't get there if we resolved to keep debating it until it passes."

"If one can't advocate for a legislative strategy without being accused of 'attacking Republicans,' we're in for a rough ride as a party," Lee added.

The spat was flagged by Capitol Hill reporter Andrew Desiderio, who noted Cornyn's pointed instruction to Lee to focus on Democrats rather than fellow Republicans.