Utah Republicans who want to punish Romney for voting to convict former President Donald Trump.
(AP Photo / J. Scott Applewhite) Some Utah Republicans want to censor Sen. Mitt Romney for voting to convict former President Donald Trump during his second indictment. The proposal accuses Romney of being an agent of the “deep state” and of undermining Trump.
Some Utah Republicans hope to censor Sen. Mitt Romney for voting to convict former President Donald Trump in his second indictment.
Utah Republican Party leaders are not behind this effort.
The draft goes on to say that Romney “embarrassed the state of Utah” when he was the only Republican senator to vote to condemn Trump during his first impeachment process. Romney had voted to remove Trump for abusing his power by pressuring Ukraine to launch an investigation into then-Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden.
Censorship then attacks Romney for opposing the effort to declare Trump’s second removal process unconstitutional, as Trump no longer held office, and to vote in favor of calling witnesses. He also exclaims Romney for joining six more Republicans to condemn Trump on Saturday. It takes two-thirds of senators to oust a president, so Trump was acquitted. Utah Sen. Mike Lee was among Republicans who voted to acquit.
The no-confidence motion concludes that Romney used his “senatorial power and influence to undermine” Trump and states that “Romney appears to be an agent of the Deep Establishment State.”
Evan McMullin, a former Republican who ran for president as an independent in 2016, said he was surprised by the backlash against Romney from members of his own party.
“Mitt has done more to defend the Constitution than any Republican in modern history. He is serving the country and doing more than anyone to stand up for freedom, “McMullin said.” We have to stay with him. “
McMullin, a frequent critic of Trump during his tenure in office, said Romney’s courage should be celebrated and not condemned.
“There’s a huge need and opportunity for Utah to lead this. There are a lot of good Republicans in Utah who are committed to the founding principles of our country, the same kind of leadership that Mitt offers right now,” McMullin said. “It’s not about Republicans, Democrats or independents. It’s about putting the country and the Constitution first.”
Derek Brown, president of the Utah GOP, says he is aware of the no-confidence motion, but has not yet seen it.
“I said the best censorship comes at the polls,” says Brown, a reference to 2024, when Romney would be re-elected.
“There was not enough support to censor Senator Romney a year ago,” Brown said. “The impact of such resolutions has been minimal.”
The Utah Republican Party Central Committee is not scheduled to meet until June and Brown says he has major issues to deal with as party chairman.
“My focus is to keep the people who joined the Utah Republican Party this past year and contact those who have left the party to get them back,” he said.
Janalee Tobias, a longtime Republican Party activist, kicked off the old petition on Sunday where she quickly gained strength in some corners of social media.
“This is the second time (Romney) has betrayed the people of Utah,” Tobias said in a phone interview Monday. “We assumed that since he was a Republican presidential candidate, he would be a staunch supporter of President Trump.”
“Utah is a red state. We chose Mitt Romney to be part of the red team, “he said.” Trump is the quarterback of the red team. Romney has decided to play for the blue team and should resign. “
The Utah Republican Party on Monday issued a statement on the removal vote, noting that both Romney and Lee have faced criticism. “The differences between our own Utah Republicans show a diversity of thoughts, in contrast to the danger of a party set on‘ unanimity of thought. ’There is power in our differences as a political party and we hope that every senator explains his votes to the people of Utah ”.