Republicans denounce Trump's 'intimidation' tactics

President Donald Trump is ratcheting up pressure on Republicans in Congress after a group of senators voted to block him from waging war in Venezuela. Some Capitol Hill Republicans are now grumbling about the White House's aggressive arm-twisting.

In a Friday report by CNN's Annie Grayer, multiple House Republicans described how they've had second thoughts about voting for things that may be seen by Trump as a provocation. Grayer reported that this fall's looming midterm elections have Republicans feeling particularly wary of angering the White House.

"A member could be one phone call or Truth Social post away from being singled out by the president, and that carries extra weight with members eager not to draw a primary challenge or open themselves up to new attacks as Election Day draws closer," Grayer wrote.

Earlier this week, Trump singled out the five Republican senators on his Truth Social platform who voted with Democrats to advance a war powers resolution, saying they "should never be elected to office again." Hours later, Republicans in the House of Representatives were faced with votes to override some of Trump's vetoes, with many hesitating to do so given the president's social media post.

"Members who would normally be supportive of other member initiatives have to balance not stepping out of line with the White House," one unnamed Republican told CNN. "Not much room for independence."

However, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) has come to relish Trump's attacks as opportunities to raise money for his reelection campaign. He argued that he's become a poster boy for what can happen to a Republican who bucks the administration, after he championed an ultimately successful discharge petition to compel the Department of Justice to release all remaining Jeffrey Epstein-related documents. He told CNN that he believed "there was some bully pulpit intimidation going on" regarding the votes to override Trump's vetoes.

“I think he’s attacking me to keep the rest of these guys in line,” Massie told the network. “I think he’s just trying to drive home to them that, ‘Hey, if you don’t stay in line, I’ll give you the Massie treatment.’”

Click here to read the full CNN report in its entirety.