Mitt Romney Says He Has an ‘Open Mind’ about Working with Democrats During Senate Impeachment Trial
Shane Trejo
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Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) claims he has an “open mind” about joining Democrats to call witnesses during the Senate impeachment trial against President Donald Trump that starts tomorrow.
“Deciding whether or not a sitting president should be removed from office is perhaps the most solemn matter that can ever come before the United States Senate. I enter this task with an open mind and a recognition of my solemn responsibility to fulfill my oath,” Romney said in a grandstanding statement to his constituents.
While Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) wants to quickly end the impeachment farce to focus on actual problems that matter to the American public, Romney wants the grueling process to linger on. He claims that the Democrat-led witch hunt against the President is “extremely serious.”
“These allegations demand that the Senate put political biases aside, and make good faith efforts to listen to arguments from both sides and thoroughly review facts and evidence,” Romney said.
Romney wants the decision regarding whether or not witnesses will be called during the trial to be held off until after opening arguments are made, perhaps hoping for details to emerge that will give him political cover to work with the Democrats.
“If attempts are made to vote on witnesses prior to opening arguments, I would oppose those efforts,” Romney said.
“There is inevitable political pressure from all sides. I have spent — and will continue to spend — many hours in careful deliberation about what this process and its potential outcomes could mean for our country. The best we in the Senate can do is strive to meet the obligations outlined by our founding fathers,” he said.
Romney has previously stated that he wants to hear from former national security adviser John Bolton, who President Trump has criticized publicly for his incompetence since he departed from the administration.
“I would like to be able to hear from John Bolton. What the process is to make that happen, I don’t have an answer for you,” Romney said to fake news reporters.
Bolton has expressed his willingness to provide testimony against President Trump. The Ukraine-gate situation sprung up immediately after Bolton left the administration, and that timing may not be a coincidence. Never Trumpers are putting together a well-funded ad campaign to cajole Republican Senators into supporting Bolton’s testimony.
“The House has concluded its Constitutional responsibility by adopting Articles of Impeachment related to the Ukraine matter. It now falls to the Senate to fulfill its Constitutional obligation to try impeachments, and it does not appear possible that a final judicial resolution of the still-unanswered Constitutional questions can be obtained before the Senate acts,” Bolton said in a statement.
“Accordingly, since my testimony is once again at issue, I have had to resolve the serious competing issues as best I could, based on careful consideration and study. I have concluded that, if the Senate issues a subpoena for my testimony, I am prepared to testify,” he added.
While many supporters are taking it for granted that President Trump will be exonerated by the GOP-dominated Senate, that may not be the case. The Never Trumpers, led by Romney, will be plotting to sabotage the President throughout the impeachment trial.
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