Trump: Acquittal helps reelection
Ohio Sen. Brown, in New York Times column, says Senate Republicans voted to acquit out of fear.
WASHINGTON — Exulting in his impeachment acquittal, a defiant President Donald Trump took a victory lap Thursday, attacking against those who tried to remove him from office and pointing ahead to his reelection campaign.
Trump, triumphantly waving a newspaper front page — “ACQUITTED” — declared the impeachment proceedings a “disgrace” and portrayed himself as a victim of political foes he labeled “scum,” “sleaze bags” and “horrible” people. Hours earlier, he unleashed broadsides at an annual prayer breakfast.
“It was evil, it was corrupt,” Trump declared at the White House. “This should never ever happen to another president, ever.”
He conceded nothing in regard to charges that he improperly withheld U.S. military aid in an effort to pressure Ukraine to investigate Democratic foe Joe Biden and other political matters.
“We went through h ell, unfairly,” he said. “We did nothing wrong.”
For more than an hour, Trump
railed against the impeachment process and ticked off names of the “vicious and mean” people he felt had wronged him: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Intel- ligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff and former FBI Director James Comey. But then he reveled in the 52-48 verdict on the abuse of power article of impeachment delivered by the GOP-controlled Senate the day before.
As Trump spoke, the White House East Room was packed with hundreds of supporters. Among them: Republican senators who voted to acquit him, Cabinet members and staunch House allies.
Rep. Jordan to become top Republican on Judiciary Committee
Trump individually praised several local members of Congress in his speech including Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Urbana.
Trump called Jordan a “warrior.”
Late Thursday, several news outlets including The Hill reported that Jordan will soon become the top Repub- lican on the House Judiciary Committee, the committee that finalized the two arti- cles of impeachment late last year.
Jordan was one of Trump’s biggest defenders during the impeachment hearings. Jordan also served as a temporary member of the Intel- ligence Committee during the impeachment hearings.
“The move essentially installs two of President Trump’s fiercest allies on top committees, giving the administration two strong supporters to combat Dem- ocrats’ next investigations into the White House,” The Hill reported.
During his speech, Trump also mentioned U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Dayton.
Tr u mp said “Michael Turner, you can represent me anytime.”
“Michael, you were fantastic and we appreciate it,” Trump said.
Turner is a member of the House Intelligence Committee that handled impeach- ment hearings late last year.
Sen. Sherrod Brown criticizes Senate
Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, wrote a column in Thursday’s New York Times criticizing Republican senators for defending Trump.
He said senators were afraid to cross the president.
“History has indeed taught us that when it comes to the instincts that drive us, fear has no rival,” Brown wrote. “Unfortunately, in this Senate, fear has had its way. In November, the American peo- ple will have theirs.”
Trump says acquittal will lead to reelection
He declared that the Repub- lican Party had never been more unified and predicted momentum from the acquit- tal would carry him to reelec- tion this November. But he also predicted that he may have to fend off another impeachment challenge, perhaps for something as trivial as jaywalking.
“We’ll probably have to do it again because these people have gone stone-cold crazy,” the president said.
Earlier, speaking from a stage where he was joined by congressional leaders, including Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who led the impeachment charge against him, Trump shattered the usual veneer of biparti- sanship at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington.
“They have done everything possible to destroy us and by so doing very badly hurt our nation,” said Trump, again holding up newspapers with banner “ACQUITTED” headlines.
His remarks came after a series of scripture-quoting speeches, including a keynote address by Arthur Brooks, a Harvard professor and president of a conservative think tank, who had bemoaned a “crisis of contempt and polarization” in the nation and urged those gathered to “love your enemies.”
“I don’t know if I agree with you,” Trump said as he took the microphone.
The House speaker shook her head at various points during Trump’s remarks, but did not appear to interact with Trump personally. Earlier she had offered a prayer for the poor and the persecuted.
At the White House later, Trump defended his prayer breakfast attacks on Pelosi, saying “I had Nancy Pelosi sitting four seats away and I’m saying things a lot of people wouldn’t have said. I meant every word.”