Tag: Mitt Romney

Not ‘a great moment in American leadership:’ Romney criticizes government response to coronavirus

Washington Post logoSen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) offered a critical assessment of the federal government’s readiness for the novel coronavirus, describing it as not a “great moment in American leadership.”

Romney mostly kept his criticisms broad, avoiding attacking President Trump directly, though he took a few swipes at the president’s management style during an event with Georgetown University students via video chat on Tuesday night.

“The speed of our response looked slow compared to other people. That first phase will not stand out as a great moment in American leadership,” Romney said, referring to the onset of the coronavirus outbreak, adding, “We didn’t look real strong, and that’s kind of an understatement.” Continue reading.

‘Gee, that’s too bad’ is an encapsulation of Trump’s approach to the pandemic — and politics

Washington Post logoWe see again where Trump’s empathy comes up short

For a second, a brief second, it seemed as if maybe President Trump thought better of the line.

He was asked Sunday about the ability of Senate Republicans to win votes with so many members now in isolation to prevent spreading the novel coronavirus. After inquiring about the senators who were included in that group, Trump was told that one was Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), the sole Republican to vote to convict Trump on impeachment charges last month.

The president has a history of continuing to bash those who take key votes against him — like former Arizona senator John McCain — but one would be forgiven for assuming that Romney’s decision to follow government recommendations to isolate to avoid spreading the dangerous virus would not be a jumping-off point for a presidential attack.Continue reading.

While Cowardly Republicans Punt, Romney Plays The Long Game

Don’t you just hate it when someone uses a sports metaphor to teach a life lesson? So do I, usually. But with the Super Bowl not a week in the rearview mirror, it would be impossible to ignore the concept of the punt — getting out of a tough situation by moving the ball as far as possible toward the opponent’s end zone.

If you’re playing against a Patrick Mahomes-led Kansas City Chiefs, you’re merely buying some time before the inevitable score. But senators using that tactic in an impeached President Donald Trump’s trial are no doubt hoping any payback comes late, or not at all.

For them, it’s a way to satisfy both their consciences and a Trump-supporting voting base. Continue reading.

Trump hits Romney, Pelosi for invoking religion during impeachment

President Trump on Thursday swiped at Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) for invoking religion during the impeachment proceedings while speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast.

“Weeks ago, and again yesterday, courageous Republican politicians and leaders had the wisdom, fortitude and strength to do what everyone knows was right,” Trump said. “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.”

Trump opened his remarks at the event by railing against the recently concluded impeachment process, taking an unmistakable jab at Romney, who voted to convict Trump one impeachment charge, and Pelosi, who was seated just a few feet away. When he entered the room, Trump held up newspapers emblazoned with headlines announcing his acquittal. Continue reading.

Romney shocks GOP with vote to convict

The Hill logoSen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) shocked his fellow Republican senators and surprised much of the nation on Wednesday with a dramatic floor speech announcing he would vote to convict President Trump on the impeachment charge of abuse of power.

Romney announced his decision in a nearly empty Senate chamber just hours before the Senate voted to acquit Trump and after fellow GOP colleagues such as Sens. Susan Collins (Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) had already announced they would not vote to convict Trump.

Just as surprising as his vote was the intensity of the 2012 Republican presidential nominee’s language. Continue reading.

 

Like McCain before him, Romney rebukes President Trump

2008 and 2012 presidential nominees have been most forceful GOP critics in the Senate

The greatest rebukes of Donald Trump’s presidency from the Republican side of the aisle have come from the two previous standard-bearers for the GOP.

When Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, a freshman senator best known for being the 2012 Republican nominee for president, announced Wednesday on the Senate floor that he would vote to convict Trump of abuse of power, it evoked memories of the time when the late Arizona Sen. John McCain voted in 2017 to thwart the president’s desired repeal of the 2010 health care law.

McCain, a hero of the Vietnam War and the 2008 Republican nominee for president, cast his vote with a dramatic thumbs-down that the current occupant of the Oval Office has not forgotten. Trump has continued to allude to the vote, which doomed GOP plans to nix the health care law, particularly during campaign rallies. Continue reading.

McConnell, Romney vie for influence over Trump’s trial

The Hill logoThe fight over calling additional witnesses at President Trump‘s impeachment trial has turned into a struggle for influence between Mitch McConnell and Mitt Romney.  

The two Republican leaders — one the Senate majority leader, the other the GOP’s 2012 nominee for president — have two very different agendas.

McConnell has staked his reelection to a seventh term on helping Trump implement his agenda and has made clear that he is closely coordinating trial strategy with the White House.

Mitt makes his move

The occasional Trump critic is in the middle of an internal GOP fight over the impeachment trial.

After staying relatively quiet throughout the House’s impeachment inquiry, Sen. Mitt Romney now finds himself in the middle of an increasingly bitter debate in his own party.

The Utah Republican has long been open to hearing from former national security adviser John Bolton and other witnesses in President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial, a position shared by Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). The trio has searched for a fourth crucial vote to win a majority, but up until Sunday, those appeals seemed to be going nowhere.

Yet following a New York Times report that Trump told Bolton that frozen Ukrainian aid would be restored only if officials in Ukraine announced an investigation into Joe Biden and his son, Romney’s push for witnesses has some life — and some Republicans are displeased. Continue reading.

Romney: ‘Increasingly likely’ other GOP senators will support hearing from Bolton

The Hill logoSen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) said on Monday that he believes it is more likely other Republican senators will support subpoenaing former national security adviser John Bolton in the wake of an explosive New York Times report.

Romney said it’s “increasingly apparent” that the Senate should hear from Bolton after the Times reported that he claims in his forthcoming memoir that President Trump tied Ukraine aid to help with investigations into Democrats.

“It’s pretty fair to say John Bolton has relevant testimony,” Romney told reporters. “I think it’s increasingly likely that other Republicans will join those of us who think we should hear from John Bolton.” Continue reading.

Mitch McConnell warns Trump to stop attacking GOP senators who will decide his fate

Trump called Mitt Romney a “pompous ass.” Mitch reminded him Romney will be a juror in Trump’s impeachment trial

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell warned President Donald Trump to stop attacking Republican senators who will soon consider his fate at an impeachment trial, Politico reports.

McConnell met with Trump one-on-one at the White House last week and warned Trump to stop attacking senators like Mitt Romney, R-Utah, whom the president called a “pompous ass” after Romney said that Trump’s demand for Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden was “wrong and appalling.”

Attacking Romney was a “big mistake,” a former Senate aide told Politico, adding that the Utah senator will still be around in the chamber for at least another five years. “You can’t go guns blazing on the Senate.”

View the complete November 1 article by Igor Derysh on the Salon website here.