Republican Utah Sen. Mitt Romney dissented Friday from President Donald Trump’s assertion that his asking the Ukrainian and Chinese governments to investigate Joe Biden and his son Hunter was about fighting corruption.
By all appearances, the President’s brazen and unprecedented appeal to China and to Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden is wrong and appalling.
— Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) October 4, 2019
“I am only interested in corruption,” Trump repeatedly claimed during a press gaggle outside the White House. (RELATED: Lou Dobbs Calls Out Mitt Romney For Refusal To Endorse Trump’s Reelection: ‘What Is Wrong With This Man?’
Romney instead suggested that the president’s request of Chinese and Ukrainian officials to investigate the former vice president and his son was a political move.
“When the only American citizen President Trump singles out for China’s investigation is his political opponent in the midst of the Democratic nomination process, it strains credulity to suggest that it is anything other than politically motivated,” Romney tweeted.
“By all appearances, the president’s brazen and unprecedented appeal to China and Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden is wrong and appalling,” Romney concluded. (RELATED: Former Romney Advisor Claims 30 Republican Senators Would Support Impeachment In ‘Secret Vote’)
Romney is known to be an intra-party critic of the president, having recently tweeted that the presence of a quid pro quo on the phone call with President Zelensky would be “troubling in the extreme.”
If the President asked or pressured Ukraine’s president to investigate his political rival, either directly or through his personal attorney, it would be troubling in the extreme. Critical for the facts to come out.
— Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) September 22, 2019
This feud is simply the latest in a long-standing battle between the two most recent Republican nominees for president. Romney has routinely criticized Trump as being unfit for office. On the other hand, Donald Trump has made his political living standing up to those who attack him and has made numerous negative comments about the Utah Senator, including the following tweet, in which he questions whether or not Romney will become the new Jeff Flake of the Senate.
Here we go with Mitt Romney, but so fast! Question will be, is he a Flake? I hope not. Would much prefer that Mitt focus on Border Security and so many other things where he can be helpful. I won big, and he didn’t. He should be happy for all Republicans. Be a TEAM player & WIN!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2019