Trump says he would not have attempted coup after defeat

 https://www.theday.com/article/20210716/NWS21/210719605

 Former President Donald Trump insisted Thursday that he wouldn’t have used the military to illegally seize control of the government after his election loss. But he suggested that if he had tried to carry out a coup, it wouldn’t have been with his top military adviser.

Meanwhile, Republicans who are eyeing White House bids of their own aren't crossing Trump, who remains popular with many GOP voters.

GOP Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, a potential 2024 presidential contender, said "no comment,” when asked if he thought Trump’s statement was appropriate for a former president. A member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and an Army veteran of two combat tours in Iraq, Cotton declined to comment again when asked if he wanted to criticize Trump’s remark.

“I think he has the right to say what he wants to say,” said Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, when asked if he was comfortable with a former president even hypothetically entertaining the idea of a coup.

“You know, Donald Trump speaks for himself and he always has,” said Cruz, another potential White House candidate in 2024.