Romney’s vote was an encouraging indication that some devout Christians may begin to return to their values and abandon their support of this immoral, dishonest, hedonistic, and autocratic president. Many Americans have struggled to understand the irony and hypocrisy that defines the support evangelical, and other devout Christian groups give to Trump.
Romney was clearly pained to vote for the removal of the president of his own party. He is a staunch conservative and observant Mormon, as well as a committed Republican. However, he explained the acts Trump was accused of in the Articles of Impeachment were wrong and egregious enough to justify removal from office. His belief that asking a foreign government to investigate a political rival rose to the level of high crimes and misdemeanors. In an interview in the Atlantic on Feb. 5th, 2020, Romney said, ” I would have liked to abdicate my Constitutional responsibility as written by the Founding Fathers, and say, “Let’s leave it to the voters,,” “But I had to vote my conscience.” Romney is braced for a backlash from the GOP who are in full support of Trump’s corrupt view of democracy.
It must pain Romney and all the Senators who voted to convict, to listen to Trump claim exoneration. Many Republicans admitted Trump was wrong to ask the President of Ukraine to investigate his political rival to interfere in our 2020 election process and to withhold appropriated military aid from them. However, Mitch McConnell ordered the trial to be conducted without witnesses or evidence as part of the proceedings. In other words, the procedures did not meet the criteria for a credible trial. It was a mock trial with the outcome decided before it started.
The House managers proved, without a doubt, Trump offered a quid pro quo to President Zelensky. Republican State Dept. officials testified under oath that the U.S. president was acting in opposition to the Constitution. Despite the crime, Republican Senators voted to protect themselves from impeached President Trump and, in doing so, have taken a step towards the ruination of their legacies.
The Senate decided the president’s behavior was wrong but did not rise to a level to justify removal. Don’t they care that foreign interference in our democratic elections violates the Constitution and changes what democracy stands for? Senator Susan Collins is particularly offensive. She fakes being concerned for the rule of law, then falls in line when it comes to showing conscience and courage.
I hope Mitt Romney’s courage to vote his conscience stirs a mass resurrection of authentic religious values in Trump’s base. Romney modeled how religious beliefs and conscience can remind people that choosing right over wrong will elevate and heal the soul of this nation.
