CBS News reported this week that a friend of the president’s threatened U.S. senators if they were thinking of voting in support of witnesses.

“Vote against the president and your head will be on a pike,” the Trump confidant said.

In opening statements, House managers examined the debunked conspiracy theories invoked by Pres. Trump.

A @POTUS confidant tells CBS News that GOP senators were warned: “vote against the president & your head will be on a pike.”

Here's @nancycordes https://t.co/LV1Y6QveIh pic.twitter.com/tLB9EpoWr8

— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) January 23, 2020

According to Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), however, it was a lie and no one ever said it.

CNN’s Manu Raju revealed after the Senate adjourned that Collins audibly disputed Schiff’s quote of the story during the trial.

“She shook her head and said, ‘No they didn’t. No, that’s not true,'” Raju reported.

Sens. Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Jim Risch (R-ID) also denied it was said.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and John Barrasso (R-WY) also said that the report was false.

Republicans are INCENSED about Adam Schiff’s comment about the CBS report that senators had been warned they’d have their “head on a pike” if they convict.

“He lost me there,” Lisa Murkowski said.

John Barrasso blasted Schiff for “spread falsehoods … on the Senate floor.”

— Griffin Connolly (@GriffinConnolly) January 25, 2020

“He was doing fine with moral courage until he got to the head on the pike. That’s where he lost me,” Murkowski said, per CNN’s Jeff Zeleny. “He’s a good orator you got to give him that … He was moving right along …and then he got to a couple places and it was just unnecessary.”

“He was doing fine with moral courage until he got to the head on the pike. That's where he lost me,” Murkowksi said, per @jeffzeleny. “He’s a good orator you got to give him that … He was moving right along …and then he got to a couple places and it was just unnecessary.”

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) January 25, 2020

It’s unclear if these Republicans haven’t seen the report, or they are questioning whether CBS News is falsifying reporting.

See Raju’s report below:

Enjoy this piece?

… then let us make a small request. Like you, we here at Raw Story believe in the power of progressive journalism. Raw Story readers power David Cay Johnston’s DCReport, which we've expanded to keep watch in Washington. We’ve exposed billionaire tax evasion and uncovered White House efforts to poison our water. We’ve revealed financial scams that prey on veterans, and legal efforts to harm workers exploited by abusive bosses. And unlike other news outlets, we’ve decided to make our original content free. But we need your support to do what we do.

Raw Story is independent. Unhinged from billionaires and corporate overlords, we fight to ensure no one is forgotten.

We need your support to deepen our investigative reporting. Every reader contribution, whatever the amount, makes a tremendous difference. Invest with us. Make a one-time contribution to Raw Story Investigates, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you. Click to donate by check.

Enjoy this piece?

… then let us make a small request. Like you, we here at Raw Story believe in the power of progressive journalism — and we’re investing in investigative reporting as other publications give it the ax. Raw Story readers power David Cay Johnston’s DCReport, which we've expanded to keep watch in Washington. We’ve exposed billionaire tax evasion and uncovered White House efforts to poison our water. We’ve revealed financial scams that prey on veterans, and efforts to harm workers exploited by abusive bosses. We need your support to do what we do.

Raw Story is independent. You won’t find mainstream media bias here. Every reader contribution, whatever the amount, makes a tremendous difference. Invest with us in the future. Make a one-time contribution to Raw Story Investigates, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you.