House Republican Francis Rooney, once a defender of President Trump, said he is now mulling over whether the president committed an impeachable offense.
The Florida congressman told the Associated Press that he began to question the White House’s narrative that there was no “quid pro quo” with Ukraine after he heard acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney speak about the United States withholding aid to the country.
“He said there’s a quid pro quo,” Rooney said. “I just don’t think that the power and prestige of our country is supposed to be used for political things.”
Mulvaney said his comments were misconstrued, but Rooney said about the controversy on CNN, “Whatever may have been gray and unclear before is certainly clear now.”
When asked if he thinks the president committed impeachable conduct, Rooney said, “I’m still thinking about it.”
The 65-year-old Republican represents a solidly red Florida district that includes Fort Myers, Naples, and Marco Island. It voted for Trump by a more than 20-point margin. Rooney said that about half the calls he has received since he spoke out against Trump have been negative, with “some pretty hostile” ones from the president’s supporters. Rooney is unsure whether he will run for re-election in 2020.
Rooney was also one of 13 Republicans to join with Democrats this year and attempt to stop Trump from declaring a national emergency in order to build border walls.
