Senator Mitt Romney Makes History By Breaking From Party to Vote To Convict President Trump
On Wednesday afternoon, Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) gave his reasoning for voting to convict President Trump for abuse of power. Romney is the first Republican to break from the party and vote to convict and remove a president in American history.
Romney, noting he was “profoundly religious,” said, “what the president did was wrong. Grievously wrong.”
“The president is guilty of an appalling abuse of public trust. What he did was not perfect. No, it was a flagrant assault on our electoral rights, our national security and our fundamental values,” Romney said. “Corrupting an election to keep oneself in office is perhaps the most abusive and destructive violation of one’s oath of office that I can imagine.”
Romney acknowledged that his vote would not remove Trump from office, but the results of the court would “be appealed to a higher court, the judgment the American people.” And he would be able to “tell his children and their children” he did his duty to the best of his ability.
Romney and Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) were the only two Republicans who voted to have new witnesses in the impeachment trial. Collins has already stated she will vote to acquit President Trump.
Watch:
Sen. @MittRomney becomes the first GOP senator to say he will vote to convict in Trump's impeachment trial.
— CNN Newsroom (@CNNnewsroom) February 5, 2020
“Corrupting an election to keep oneself in office is perhaps the most abusive and destructive violation of one’s oath of office that I can imagine.”https://t.co/W3ycY0PEQF pic.twitter.com/1arw8EclIs
Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) pointed out the two Articles of Impeachment lacked evidence and not charging any criminal conduct.
Listen to what Rep. Biggs had to say about Romney’s vote to convict Trump.
In bringing two amorphous Articles of Impeachment to the Senate, lacking adequate evidence and not charging any criminal conduct, Democrats made a mockery of our whole system.
— Rep Andy Biggs (@RepAndyBiggsAZ) February 5, 2020
And now Senator Mitt Romney is going to join them in voting to convict the POTUS on the first article. pic.twitter.com/uw9dWxiEJo
Romney ran for president in 2008 and in 2012. Some are speculating Romney is planning to run in 2024.
Don Jr tweeted Romney is still “bitter” about not being president, and that he should be “expelled from the GOP.”
“Mitt Romney is forever bitter that he will never be POTUS. He was too weak to beat the Democrats then so he’s joining them now. He’s now officially a member of the resistance & should be expelled from the @GOP,” tweeted Don Jr.
Mitt Romney is forever bitter that he will never be POTUS. He was too weak to beat the Democrats then so he’s joining them now.
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) February 5, 2020
He’s now officially a member of the resistance & should be expelled from the @GOP.