Republican Rep. Open To Impeaching Trump Says He’s ‘Very Concerned’ About GOP

UNITED STATES - APRIL 25: Rep. Francis Rooney, R-Fla., speaks with Roll Call in his Capitol Hill office on Tuesday, April 25, 2017. (Photo By Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)
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Rep. Francis Rooney (R-FL), who has indicated that he’s open to impeaching President Donald Trump, expressed serious concern over the state of his party on Sunday.

“You’re a proud longtime Republican,” CNN “State of the Union” host Jake Tapper told Rooney. “Are you concerned about your party right now?”

“Very concerned, Jake,” the Republican lawmaker responded. “We are self-sorting for a declining demographic, a narrowing demographic of elderly people, rural people.”

Rooney said the GOP needs to “get back to being the party of pro-economics, pro-capitalism and reduced spending,” not “all this kind of populism stuff.”

When Tapper asked if Rooney planned on leaving the party, the lawmaker responded, “I don’t know.”

“I am a Republican,” he continued. “I believe we have the better argument in the area of economic and business regulation. But I don’t think we have the better argument on gun violence and on the environment.”

Rooney lamented how how “the system we have now” is “so oriented towards reelection, raising money.”

“And it creates a bias against action,” he added. “Everybody is quaking in fear of being criticized by the President or something.”

Rooney announced on Saturday that he will not be running for reelection in 2020.

Watch Rooney’s interview on CNN online.

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Notable Replies

  1. “I am a Republican,” he continued. “I believe we have the better argument in the area of economic and business regulation."
    Rooney then went on to say:
    “And it’s these policies of funneling more money to the 1% that I care about deeply. Massive wealth inequality is part of God’s plan - but I kinda don’t like separating children from their parents and locking them in cages. I mean, staffing the Department of the interior with industry insiders is all well and good, but …well…Kavanaugh is kinduv an embarrassment - don’t tell the others I said it.”

  2. Very worried about the Republican Party? He should get in line and take a number.

  3. “We are self-sorting for a declining demographic, a narrowing demographic of elderly people, rural people.”

    Go ahead - say it. You know you want to - “white people”

  4. Avatar for mrf mrf says:

    The rubes in the Villages are now grumbling about Rep. Rooney. “Self sorting?” “You bet! I got my Medicare and a Rascal scooter” “Whatcha going to do about it”.

  5. Avatar for kovie kovie says:

    The wheels coming off the GOP, GOP, GOP
    The wheels coming off the GOP
    Early in the morning…

    More traditional Repubs are finally realizing that their party doesn’t exist anymore, as such.

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