Former Obama and Biden administration official Susan Rice recently threatened retaliation against corporations who “bent the knee” to Donald Trump, and now Republicans are coming at her with both barrels.

Rice made her comments during a recent episode of “Stay Tuned with Preet” podcast, hosted by Preet Bharara, the former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York.

Now, Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) is firing back.

Already worried

Republicans were already worried about public backlash before Rice had gone on the attack. One GOP senator pointed to several losses by Republicans in special elections in seats they were expected to hold as a sign that we could see Republicans start to distance themselves from Trump to save their seats.

The senator added, “Senators are saying more and more loudly that they’re very, very concerned about the environment, that it’s continuing to deteriorate. They say it over and over again,” reported The Hill.

Another Republican stated, “Republicans are right to be worried about the midterms. You can feel when the water temperature changes, and it feels like it’s going to change in a second.”

Neither of them was willing to officially go on the record, however, for fear of an attack from the White House.

Rice goes on the attack

There were already concerns, then Rice confirmed what we already knew… if Dems get back in charge, they will use the power to go after everyone who supported Trump.

She stated, “If these corporations think that the Democrats, when they come back in power, are going to, you know, play by the old rules, and, you know, say, ‘Oh, never mind. We’ll forgive you for all the people you fired, all the policies and principles you’ve violated, all, you know, the laws you’ve skirted.’ I think they’ve got another thing coming,” reported The Hill.

Rice later added, “You know, companies already are starting to hear they better preserve their documents. They better be ready for subpoenas. If they’ve done something wrong, they’ll be held accountable, and if they haven’t broken the law, good for them."

So, now you have the party and the money train concerned about the upcoming cycle, for varying reasons.

Payback

Sen. Kennedy tried to get the spotlight pointed on Rice to put Democrats back on the defensive, stating, "What Ms. Rice is talking about is payback.”

After quoting Rice’s comments, Kennedy then stated, "What Ms. Rice seems to be saying is that it's okay in America today to use the law to prosecute and harass your political enemies. I find that astounding coming from a person of her stature," reported Fox News.

I know what you are thinking, and Kennedy addressed that as well, stating, "And I know some are going to say, well, ‘President Trump is doing the same thing.’ If that's true, I don't like that either. Two wrongs don't make a right. It was wrong then when President Biden did it; it's wrong now."

This is a problem for the GOP, and it is one that only Trump can fix. Whether he likes it or not, he has to make friends with his enemies within the GOP, or we are headed for a difficult stretch over the next few years. These people are out for blood, and the Biden administration's lawfare will be nothing compared to what will happen if Dems take back control of the White House in 2028, especially if they hold control of both chambers of Congress.