Special counsel Robert Mueller Robert (Bob) MuellerCNN's Toobin warns McCabe is in 'perilous condition' with emboldened Trump CNN anchor rips Trump over Stone while evoking Clinton-Lynch tarmac meeting The Hill's 12:30 Report: New Hampshire fallout MORE's report poses a test for vulnerable Senate Republicans running for reelection, forcing them to decide how far to distance themselves from President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden on Trump's refusal to commit to peaceful transfer of power: 'What country are we in?' Romney: 'Unthinkable and unacceptable' to not commit to peaceful transition of power Two Louisville police officers shot amid Breonna Taylor grand jury protests MORE heading into 2020.

Mueller declined to pursue charges of conspiracy, illegal coordination or obstruction of justice, but much of his report reflects poorly on the president and reveals there are several more federal investigations that have yet to wrap up.

While House Democrats will need to decide how hard to go to attack Trump in the wake of the report and whether to pursue a politically charged impeachment process, Senate Republicans have to figure out how far to go to defend the president.

“I think Republicans should avoid doing a victory lap. The main thing here was, were the Russians involved in the Trump campaign? Beyond that, the president’s got to defend his own conduct,” said Vin Weber, a GOP strategist. “Republicans should be talking about other things like the economy.”

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Asked what Republicans should do if they're asked directly about Trump’s conduct, Weber said, “That’s a tough one.”

“I would probably deflect a little bit by saying this: We’ve all gotten used to this being a different kind of president from a different kind of background who conducts himself differently than previous presidents, and beyond that it’s his problem, not mine,” he added.

Some expect Republicans to wait to see how the highly anticipated report plays with their constituents back home over the two-week holiday recess.

“Are Republicans privately unhappy with some of Trump’s actions in the report? Yes, of course. But the majority of Republicans are not going to go after the president on this because he has not been charged with a crime,” said another Republican strategist who requested anonymity.

The strategist said it would make sense for Senate Republicans in more competitive races to be critical of Trump.

“It wouldn’t be wise for them to be backing the president when there are a lot of moderate voters out there, but that doesn’t mean they have to condemn him either,” the strategist added.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellFEC flags McConnell campaign over suspected accounting errors Poll: 59 percent think president elected in November should name next Supreme Court justice Mark Kelly: Arizona Senate race winner should be sworn in 'promptly' MORE (R-Ky.) has remained tight-lipped about Mueller’s findings since issuing a statement Thursday that simply said he was looking forward "to carefully reviewing the report.”

He also said Trump “has every right to feel good about what we’ve heard today” on the day the report came out.

The strongest criticism so far has come from Sen. Mitt Romney Willard (Mitt) Mitt RomneyBiden on Trump's refusal to commit to peaceful transfer of power: 'What country are we in?' Romney: 'Unthinkable and unacceptable' to not commit to peaceful transition of power The Memo: Trump's strengths complicate election picture MORE (R-Utah), who is not up for reelection but has been trying to position himself as a Republican counterweight in the Senate since taking office in January.

Romney said in a statement Friday he was "sickened at the extent and pervasiveness of dishonesty and misdirection" detailed in Mueller's report "by individuals in the highest office of the land, including the president." He also said he was "appalled" about evidence that Trump’s campaign advisers "welcomed help from Russia — including information that had been illegally obtained."

Sen. Susan Collins Susan Margaret CollinsClub for Growth to spend million in ads for Trump Supreme Court nominee Maryland's GOP governor says Republicans shouldn't rush SCOTUS vote before election The Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by Facebook - GOP closes ranks to fill SCOTUS vacancy by November MORE (R-Maine), who is up for reelection in a state Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonDemocratic groups using Bloomberg money to launch M in Spanish language ads in Florida The Hill's Campaign Report: Presidential polls tighten weeks out from Election Day More than 50 Latino faith leaders endorse Biden MORE won in 2016, told Maine Public Radio on Friday that she was disturbed by Trump’s several attempts to fire Mueller as described in the report, calling it “an unflattering portrayal of the president.”

Sen. Cory Gardner Cory Scott GardnerCook Political Report shifts Colorado Senate race toward Democrat Overnight Health Care: US coronavirus deaths hit 200,000 | Ginsburg's death puts future of ObamaCare at risk | Federal panel delays vote on initial COVID-19 vaccine distribution The Hill's Campaign Report: GOP set to ask SCOTUS to limit mail-in voting MORE (R-Colo.), who is also on the ballot in a state that went for Clinton, has sought to put the focus on Russia instead of Trump.

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“Now that the report is public, it’s time for Congress to move forward and get to work on behalf of the American people. The report also confirms what we already know, Russia interfered in our election. I will keep up the pressure on the Putin regime and pursue additional sanctions — they cannot go unpunished,” Gardner said in a statement.

Sen. Martha McSally Martha Elizabeth McSallyThe Hill's Campaign Report: Presidential polls tighten weeks out from Election Day Mark Kelly: Arizona Senate race winner should be sworn in 'promptly' New ABC/WaPost poll finds Trump edging Biden in Arizona, Florida MORE (R-Ariz.), another top Democratic target next year, hasn’t said anything to criticize the president since the report’s release Thursday.

Instead, she has praised Attorney General William Barr Bill BarrHarris faces pivotal moment with Supreme Court battle Hillicon Valley: DOJ proposes tech liability shield reform to Congress | Treasury sanctions individuals, groups tied to Russian malign influence activities | House Republican introduces bill to set standards for self-driving cars McCarthy threatens motion to oust Pelosi if she moves forward with impeachment MORE for releasing “as much of the report as transparently possible.”

She also urged colleagues to “come together to focus on issues that matter to Arizonans,” such as creating well-paying jobs and affordable health care.

Sen. Rob Portman Robert (Rob) Jones PortmanMcConnell locks down key GOP votes in Supreme Court fight Romney undecided on authorizing subpoenas for GOP Obama-era probes Congress needs to prioritize government digital service delivery MORE (R-Ohio), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in a statement that "a number of actions taken by the president or his associates" were "inappropriate."

But he emphasized there was “no conspiracy or collusion to violate U.S. law between Russia and the Trump campaign” and urged Congress to work on legislation to prevent Russia from interfering in future elections.

Ross K. Baker, a professor of science at Rutgers University who has held multiple Senate fellowships, predicted that Republican lawmakers will stick to mild criticisms of Trump to avoid angering his many fans in the GOP base.

“They make a pragmatic decision that people have already made up their minds about Donald Trump and anything they could add by way of censure isn’t going to make any difference and probably will damage their political fortunes,” he said.

Sen. Marco Rubio Marco Antonio RubioOvernight Defense: Pentagon redirects pandemic funding to defense contractors | US planning for full Afghanistan withdrawal by May | Anti-Trump GOP group puts ads in military papers Democrats step up hardball tactics as Supreme Court fight heats up Press: Notorious RBG vs Notorious GOP MORE (R-Fla.), who sparred with Trump during the 2016 Republican presidential primary and has publicly disagreed with some of Trump's policies as president, issued a statement Friday that looked beyond the president’s conduct and instead focused on Russia.

Rubio, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he would focus on legislation to deter Russia from future interference. He also criticized Democrats for viewing the special counsel’s investigation as a partisan opportunity.

GOP strategists say Democrats are in a tougher position because the factions of the liberal base will be pressing hard for impeachment proceedings, a tactic that backfired on House Republicans in 1998 after they impeached former President Clinton.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi Nancy PelosiHoyer: House should vote on COVID-19 aid — with or without a bipartisan deal Ruth Bader Ginsburg lies in repose at Supreme Court McCarthy threatens motion to oust Pelosi if she moves forward with impeachment MORE (D-Calif.) advised last month against trying to impeach Trump, arguing it would divide the country and that “he’s just not worth it.”

But Democratic leaders are already seeing growing calls from progressives to take a more aggressive approach.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth WarrenDimon: Wealth tax 'almost impossible to do' CNN's Don Lemon: 'Blow up the entire system' remark taken out of context Democrats shoot down talk of expanding Supreme Court MORE (D-Mass.) on Friday became the first Democratic presidential candidate to call for the House to initiate impeachment proceedings against Trump, citing “the severity” of the president’s “misconduct” as outlined in Mueller’s report.

That could force Republicans into a tougher position of having to vocally defend Trump.

“The Democrats are going to pursue this relentlessly,” said Ron Bonjean, a Senate Republican strategist, who predicted there could be a backlash.

“They do it at their own peril because every day that goes by that they pursue this is a day they’re not working on their own agenda,” he said. “Most Republicans have circled the wagons based on the initial Mueller four-page [summary] and want to move on now that everything has been released.”

“The challenge is that the Democrats will continue to harp and go after this, but it could boomerang against them,” he added.

Updated 8:16 a.m.