Democratic Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy called Republican Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul’s argument against a conviction on the impeachment of President Donald Trump “not from outer space” during an appearance on “Fox News Sunday.”
Paul’s argument, put forth last month in an unsuccessful motion to dismiss the case against Trump in the Senate, states that the impeachment is no longer constitutional since the president is no longer in office and cannot be removed.
“I will admit that this is of course a matter of first impression, and so I don’t think the case that Senator Paul is making here is a ridiculous one,” Murphy told Fox News anchor Chris Wallace when asked about the issue.
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Murphy went on to argue that barring a politician from seeking further office “requires us to take this step even though the president has left office.”
“It sets up a strange circumstance by which a president or any official could very quickly resign to preserve their right to run later on even though they engaged in pretty serious misconduct,” he added. “So I think we have this responsibility, but listen, I admit that Senator Paul’s case is not from outer space.” (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Here’s How The RNC Plans To Handle Trump’s Impeachment Trial)
“These days in Washington, saying something’s not from outer space is a compliment,” Wallace said with a laugh.