Now: Who needs transparency? “From the moment President Trump was elected, Congressional Democrats have acted as sore losers, spending every minute working to undermine him and his administration’s policies,” he said. “Frankly, impeachment is not only a political stunt, but a waste of time.”
Kevin Brady, congressman from Texas
Then: “If it is no longer the duty of the president to tell the truth under sworn oath, can we require it of any American? The answer is no, which is why justice, hope and the Constitution demand that today we vote yes [on impeachment].”
Now: “Democrats have a simple message for the American people: You don’t matter. Our hatred for the President crushes your desire for Congress to work together to solve real problems.”
Rob Portman, congressman-turned-senator from Ohio
Then: Impeachment is not a tool of political expedience. “I believe the long-term consequence to this country of not acting on these serious charges before us far outweigh the consequences of following what the Constitution provides for and bringing this matter to trial in the United States Senate.”
Now: “We’ll be voting in a year. That’s where the decision ought to be made.” Election results were not always so important to Portman, whose party impeached Clinton during a lame-duck session of Congress despite losing five seats in the 1998 midterms.
Mac Thornberry, congressman from Texas
Then: “This President has violated the law; he has betrayed his oath and constitutional duty; he has undermined the legal system and the rule of law—all to promote his own selfish interests and desires, which he consistently puts ahead of the country’s best interests.” Perhaps this presidential selfishness sounds familiar.
Now: “I believe it’s inappropriate for a president to ask a foreign leader to investigate a political rival…I do not believe it was impeachable.” As far as campaign slogans go, “Trump 2020: Inappropriate But Not Impeachable” could use some more work.
Ken Calvert, congressman from California
Then: Impeachment is about the integrity of American democracy. “The President is the nation’s chief law enforcement officer and is subject to the same rules and laws as every American. Without a clear and strong rule of law, the United States would be nothing more than a banana republic.”
Now: Impeachment is a manifestation of cynical, unfounded mass hysteria. “This is a total witch hunt.”
Jerry Moran, congressman-turned-senator from Kansas
Then: “Having to make a choice, I choose to be on the side that says no person is above the law, that this is a nation of laws not men, that telling the truth matters, and that we should expect our public officials to conduct themselves in compliance with the highest ethical standards.”
Now: Trump has told more than 13,000 lies as president, by the Washington Post‘s count. But for Moran, affirming the importance of honesty is now an inconvenient obstacle to bipartisanship in Washington: “We need a country in which we’re working together and not pulled apart.”
Pat Roberts, senator from Kansas
Then: One needs only a bit of folksy wisdom to understand the propriety of impeachment. “We in Kansas know that you don’t urge hiding legal evidence under the bed unless you want to affect the outcome of a legal proceeding. The President did so.”
Now: Who among us can understand the propriety of impeachment, or of anything, really? “To be determined, I don’t know,” Roberts said when asked about the political fallout for Trump. “It’s been a crazy year.”
Lindsey Graham, congressman-turned-senator from South Carolina
Then: “Impeachment is about restoring honor and integrity to the office,” said Graham, who served as one of the House’s impeachment masters during the Clinton proceedings. “You don’t even have to be convicted of a crime to lose your job in this constitutional republic if this body determines that your conduct as a public official is clearly out of bounds in your role.”
Now: “This is a lynching, in every sense.”
