"Conservatives will someday face the horrible truth that the Republican Party fought so hard to justify and excuse an amoral and self-serving president, and what he gave them in return was bigger government and erosion of the principles and values they once claimed to cherish." - Justin Amash
An old quote from Susan Collins has resurfaced to haunt the GOP as impeachment looms (Raw Story link): Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine is seen as one of the potential swing votes in the upcoming Senate trial of President Donald Trump. This means that not only does she have the power to deny Trump the complete support in of his own party, but she could have significant power to shape the course of the Senate trial itself. Though she has split with the president occasionally on various issues, she also continually makes clear that she’d rather not make any hard choices if she can avoid it. She’s been mocked for frequently expressing her concern or saying she’s “troubled” by things the president does, while she avoids doing much if anything to curb his behavior. She’s also facing extreme electoral pressure, as her seat is up in
2020 and she looks to be facing one of the toughest
Senate races in the country.
That’s why new video that’s been unearthed, as reported by the Washington Post, could put her and her party in a difficult position. The C-SPAN clip from January 27, 1999, shows Collins, a senator even back then, discussing the then-ongoing impeachment of President Bill Clinton.
“I am willing to travel the road wherever it leads, whether it’s to the conviction or the acquittal of the president,” Collins said. “But in order to do that, I need more evidence. I need witnesses and further evidence to guide me to the right destination, to get to the truth.”She continued: “There is indeed a mountain of evidence. But there is also a record that is replete with conflicting statements, with significant gaps, and with unanswered questions. We need to answer those questions in order to fulfill our duty to do impartial justice. I want to be fair to the president, I want to give him the opportunity to have his lawyers question witnesses if, in fact, we get to that stage.” (Collins eventually voted to acquit Clinton on both articles of impeachment.)These comments seem to be in tension with the view of
Republican Senate Majority Mitch McConnell, who hopes to dismiss the charges against the president as quickly as possible.
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