Republican Sen. Mitt Romney (UT) sharply rebuked President Donald Trump on Thursday night calling the one-term President’s efforts to overturn his election loss in Michigan “undemocratic.”
“Having failed to make even a plausible case of widespread fraud or conspiracy before any court of law, the President has now resorted to overt pressure on state and local officials to subvert the will of the people and overturn the election,” Romney said in a statement posted to Twitter. “It is difficult to imagine a worse, more undemocratic action by a sitting American President.”
Romney’s direct criticism of Trump for his unprecedented attack on democracy, comes as few of the lawmaker’s Republican colleagues have stepped forward to acknowledge reality. Weeks after Biden’s win, many Republican leaders have continued to encourage President Trump to soldier on in long-shot court cases and baseless claims of voter fraud while refusing to refer to Biden formally as the President-elect.
Romney’s comments were met by at least one other GOP colleague, Sen. Benn Sasse (NE) who urged Americans not to be fooled by Trump’s rhetoric in public after looking at the Trump campaign’s actual allegations in court, noting in a statement obtained by the Washington Post that the campaign had lost or been forced to withdraw from a number of lawsuits in Michigan “for being unable to produce any evidence.”
“Based on what I’ve read in their filings, when Trump campaign lawyers have stood before courts under oath, they have repeatedly refused to actually allege grand fraud — because there are legal consequences for lying to judges,” Sasse said in the statement, noting that Trump lost the battleground state by at least 100,000 votes.
President Trump responded to Romney’s statement early Friday with predictable name-calling, referring to the lawmaker in a tweet as a “RINO,” Republican in name only. Instead of refuting the lawmaker’s suggestions that his efforts to challenge the vote was “undemocratic,” the President goaded Romney about his loss to former President Barack Obama, saying, “I’m sure, however, that he feels he got slaughtering by Obama ‘fair and square’.”
Mitt, while your comments are true and appreciated, they are far too tepid. Can you muster up a bit of passion and emotion and righteous anger to make your case more forcefully? Trump and his minions don’t understand logic. You need to be pissed off!!! The fate of the nation is at stake!!! Damn it!!!
Before everyone jumps on Mitt, if we’re going to criticize Republicans for slavish allegiance to Trump-as we absolutely should-then we should support those who are taking a stand in favor of respecting the will of the voters. So, I salute Mitt here along with other like the Georgia Sec. of State.
Its going to be interesting to see what colors Romney flies in the next Congress. Because, given how tight the margin will be in the Senate, a couple of republicans willing to cross aisle could carry a LOT of weight.
But, without Trump as the villain, I suspect Romney will have little issue with McConnell continuing to tear down democracy.
“President Trump responded to Romney’s statement early Friday with predictable name-calling, referring to the lawmaker in a tweet as a “RINO,” Republican in name only.”
Trump is a PINO-President In Name Only
I see he got Iowa Senator Ernst and Nebraska Senator Sasse to join his little choir.