GOP mostly mum over China call

Most Republican leaders were silent or supportive of US President Donald Trump’s public call for another foreign government, China, to investigate his political foe, while a handful voiced concern that the president was trying to enlist a rival power in his reelection effort.

Several House and Senate leaders stayed mum yesterday as Trump escalated the controversy that has fuelled an impeachment inquiry and ploughed through another norm of American politics. The quiet continued as House Democrats released a trove of text messages showing that US diplomats conducted a campaign to push Ukraine to investigate former vice-president Joe Biden, a leading candidate for the Democratic nomination to face Trump next November, and Biden’s son Hunter.

Vice-President Mike Pence made it clear that he backed the president and believed he was raising ‘‘appropriate’’ issues. Other allies agreed.

‘‘I don’t think there’s anything improper about doing that,’’ Senator Ron Johnson, chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, said of Trump’s China call.

Dissent came from familiar corners. Utah Senator Mitt Romney tweeted: ‘‘By all appearances, the President’s brazen and unprecedented appeal to China and to Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden is wrong and appalling.’’

Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse said: ‘‘Americans don’t look to Chinese commies for the truth.’’

In contrast, neither Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell nor House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy responded to requests for comment.

The responses followed a familiar pattern. As the president broke another political barrier, his party leaders made no public effort to rein him in.

Some Republicans appeared eager for the controversy to simply not exist.

‘‘I don’t think it’s a real request,’’ Florida Senator Marco Rubio, a prominent China critic, told reporters. ‘‘I think he did it to get you guys. I think he did it to provoke you to ask me and others and get outraged by it.’’