Though he’s arguably one of the most endangered Democratic senators in the upcoming 2020 elections, Sen. Doug Jones (D-AL) said on Sunday that his fragile position won’t affect his vote in the Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump.
ABC News “This Week” host Martha Raddatz pointed out to Jones that GOP strategists believe a vote to convict Trump would doom the Democratic senator in a ruby-red state that voted overwhelmingly for the President in 2016.
“Are you worried about that?” Raddatz asked.
Jones shook his head.
“I took an oath as a U.S. senator,” the Alabama Democrat said. “I’m going to take another oath, and that’s where my duty is.”
“I think the problem that we’ve got in America today, and the problem we have sometimes, with all due respect, in the media, everyone wants to talk about this in the political terms, in the political consequences term,” he continued. “This is a much more serious matter than that.”
Jones said the impeachment trial is about the future of the presidency and “how we want our presidents to conduct themselves,” along with “how a Senate should handle impeachment.”
“That’s how I’m looking at this,” he told Raddatz. “If I did everything based on a pure and political argument, all you’d need is a computer to mash a button.
“It’s just not what this country’s about, it’s not what the Founders intended, it’s not what I intend to do,” the lawmaker added.
Jones won his seat in Alabama’s 2017 special election in an upset victory against Republican candidate Roy Moore, who was credibly accused of molesting several teen girls.
Watch Jones below:
Sen. Doug Jones (D-AL) says his vote in the Senate impeachment trial won't be swayed by the possibility of losing his seat. pic.twitter.com/1lJTjGJTXp
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) December 22, 2019
Brave and… good.
Inconceivable!
Nor should his vulnerability as a Democratic Senator from Alabama have any influence on his vote. After all, I don’t think a vote not to impeach would help him at all in this state.
Some things are worth losing your seat over, and this definitely fits within that category. I hope Senator Jones is rewarded for his courage and honor by the people of Alabama.
Meanwhile, over in South Carolina, that tower of sycophancy, Lindsay Graham, appears to have an unexpected fight on his hands. So, who really knows how the political winds will blow? But, in general, people appreciate politicians who make decisions based on principle.
Wow, a politician who values country over party and position.
More please…