Republican lawmakers had mixed reactions to President Trump comparing the Democrat-led impeachment effort to a “lynching.”
Trump tweeted Tuesday morning, “So someday, if a Democrat becomes President and the Republicans win the House, even by a tiny margin, they can impeach the President, without due process or fairness or any legal rights. All Republicans must remember what they are witnessing here – a lynching. But we will WIN!”
Republican Senate Majority Whip John Thune said that the comment was “not appropriate in any context.”
Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, the only black GOP senator, said that “the impeachment process is the closest thing of a political death row trial, so I get his absolute rejection of the process. I wouldn’t use the word lynching.”
Sen. Tim Scott on Trump’s “lynching” tweet: “I wouldn’t use the word lynching” pic.twitter.com/daFw9bgomB
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) October 22, 2019
When asked whether the Trump’s tweet was appropriate, Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio said, “The president is frustrated … if you had to go through the three years at this that the president’s had to live through, I think I think it just is an example of the frustration the president feels.”
Rep. Jim Jordan: “The President’s frustrated. I mean, if you had to go through the three years at this that this President had to live through, I think I think it just is an example of the frustration the President feels.” pic.twitter.com/RHYcCXKxIU
— The Hill (@thehill) October 22, 2019
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California said, “That’s not the language I would use,” before blasting the impeachment investigation.
.@GOPLeader on President Trump’s ‘lynching’ tweet: “That’s not the language I would use.”
Full video here: https://t.co/froGrrURSH pic.twitter.com/rkyx3xFgAj
— CSPAN (@cspan) October 22, 2019
Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois said, “We can all disagree on the process, and argue merits. But never should we use terms like ‘lynching’ here. The painful scourge in our history has no comparison to politics, and @realDonaldTrump should retract this immediately. May God help us to return to a better way.”
We can all disagree on the process, and argue merits. But never should we use terms like “lynching” here. The painful scourge in our history has no comparison to politics, and @realDonaldTrump should retract this immediately. May God help us to return to a better way. https://t.co/URKNgxUfiv
— Adam Kinzinger (@RepKinzinger) October 22, 2019
Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina defended the comment and said that Democrats are going about the process “without due process or fairness or any legal rights.”
“This is a lynching in every sense. This is un-American,” he added.
Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said: “‘Lynching’ brings back images of a terrible time in our nation’s history, and the President never should have made that comparison.”
“Lynching” brings back images of a terrible time in our nation’s history, and the President never should have made that comparison.
— Sen. Susan Collins (@SenatorCollins) October 22, 2019
