Utah Sen. Mitt Romney became the first senator in American history to vote to remove a president from his own party, drawing the ire of that president.
Romney was the lone senator to cross party lines on Wednesday as the Senate voted to acquit Trump of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Romney voted “guilty” on the abuse of power charge though he joined Republicans on the obstruction of Congress charge.
“The allegations made in the articles of impeachment are very serious. As a senator-juror, I swore an oath before God to exercise impartial justice. I am profoundly religious. My faith is at the heart of who I am,” Romney said on the Senate floor. “I take an oath before God as enormously consequential. I knew from the outset that being tasked with judging the president, the leader of my own party, would be the most difficult decision I have ever faced. I was not wrong.”
Trump fires back:
Trump attacked Romney at Thursday’s National Prayer Breakfast.
"I don't like people who use their faith as justification for doing what they know is wrong nor do I like people who say, 'I pray for you,' when they know that's not so. So many people have been hurt and we can't let that go on," Trump said. "We have allies, we have enemies, sometimes the allies are enemies but we just don't know it. But we're changing all that.”
Trump also attacked Romney on Twitter.
“Had failed presidential candidate @MittRomney devoted the same energy and anger to defeating a faltering Barack Obama as he sanctimoniously does to me, he could have won the election,” Trump wrote. “Read the Transcripts!”
Don Jr. Wants Romney out of GOP:
Donald Trump Jr. repeatedly called for the Republican party to boot Romney in response to his vote.
“Mitt Romney is forever bitter that he will never be POTUS. He was too weak to beat the Democrats then so he’s joining them now. He’s now officially a member of the resistance & should be expelled from the @GOP,” he wrote, along with a meme calling Romney a “pussy.”
Republicans rejected his calls.
"We don't have any dog houses here," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said. "I was surprised and disappointed... I think Senator Romney has been largely supportive of almost everything we've tried to accomplish."
"I think that's silly talk," Indiana Republican Mike Braun said. "We turn the page after today and get on with the agenda."
