Politics

Romney Dumps On #NeverTrump Crowd, Refuses To Stand With Amash On Impeachment

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Republican Utah Sen. Mitt Romney angered President Donald Trump’s opponents by refusing to stand with Republican Rep. Justin Amash in calling for impeachment.

Amash on Saturday made headlines by tweeting that Trump had “engaged in impeachable conduct” over the course of Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation. Romney reacted when asked by Jake Tapper about the topic during a Sunday morning conversation on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

WATCH:

“You and Congressman Amash are the only two elected Republicans, I think, to express any misgivings about the behavior of the president or his campaign team based on the Mueller report,” Tapper said. “First of all, are you surprised you two are the only ones that have really said anything condemning of the president’s behavior as laid out?”

Romney began his answer by saying that while everyone “has to make their own judgement,” many “want to reserve judgment until this is all played out.”

Then Romney, a frequent Trump critic who many thought might back up Amash’s statement, proceeded to do the opposite. (RELATED: Justin Amash Takes It On The Chin From Conservatives After Impeachment Stand)

My own view is that Justin Amash has reached a different conclusion than I have. I respect him. I think it’s a courageous statement. But I believe that to make a case for obstruction of justice, you just don’t have the elements that are evidenced in this document, and I also believe that an impeachment call is not only something that relates to the law but also considers practicality and politics, and I think the American people just aren’t there. And I think those that are considering impeachment have to look also at the jury, which would be the Senate. The Senate is certainly not there either.

“I just don’t think that there is the full element that you’d need to prove an obstruction of justice case,” the Utah senator told Tapper when asked about obstruction. “I don’t think a prosecutor would actually look at this and say, ‘OK, we have here all the elements that would get this to a conviction.'”

Romney’s statement not only received a cynical reception from some Trump supporters, it also got him in hot water with liberals and the #NeverTrump crowd. Here’s a sampling of reactions:

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