Sen. Lisa Murkowski said the fear of retaliation is pretty overwhelming, acknowledging this week that it is so pervasive that she's “oftentimes very anxious” to speak up out of fear of recrimination. Via Politico:

The Alaska senator, who has been among Trump’s most prominent critics in the Republican Party, made the startling admission at a conference of nonprofit and tribal leaders in Anchorage on Monday. Addressing a question about how to respond to people who are afraid in the current political climate, Murkowski responded: “We are all afraid.”

“It’s quite a statement,” she continued after a long pause, in remarks first reported by the Anchorage Daily News. “We’re in a time and place where — I don’t know, I certainly have not — I have not been here before. And I’ll tell you, I’m oftentimes very anxious myself about using my voice because retaliation is real. And that’s not right. But that’s what you’ve asked me to do and so I’m going to use my voice to the best of my ability.”

Murkowski has repeatedly criticized Trump’s policies amid overwhelming buy-in from her fellow party members. The Alaska senator openly rebuked the president for “walking away from our allies” as he increasingly aligned himself with Russian leader Vladimir Putin and publicly berated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. She has also voiced strong opposition against the Department of Government Efficiency’s mass firing wave and slash-and-burn efforts to cut down government agencies.

She's been a lot braver than her male Republican counterparts. But maybe it's time she considers leaving the party and becoming an independent, if she can't quite bring herself to become a Democrat.

But please notice: While there are plenty of scared Democrats, only a few of them feel compelled to kiss Mad King Don's feet. Unlike your current colleagues!