Republican Group To Run Ad Urging GOP To ‘Stand Up’ To Donald Trump’s ‘Abuse Of Power’
Republicans for the Rule of Law, a conservative group dedicated to “defending the institutions of our republic,” is set to run an advertisement urging the GOP to “stand up” to President Donald Trump.
According to a report from Newsweek, the group will air the ad on Fox News this Friday, during Fox & Friends.
“Republicans know a quid pro quo is wrong,” the ad says. “Republicans must stand up to Trump’s abuse of power.”
Thirty-eight seconds long, the video is a compilation of comments from witnesses in the impeachment inquiry into Trump, juxtaposed with footage of the president and his Republican backers in Congress denying any wrongdoing, and making contradictory statements.
Prominently featured in the ad is Ambassador Gordon Sondland, a key witness in the impeachment inquiry, who told Congress that Trump had a quid pro quo agreement with the Ukrainian government.
Sondland confirmed the allegations brought forth by an anonymous intelligence community official, who told Congress in a formal filing that Trump was withholding military aid, and pressuring the Ukrainian government to investigate his political opponents.
The ambassador also revealed that leaders in the National Security Council and in the State Department were aware of Trump’s agreement with Ukraine, implicating White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, Vice President Mike Pence, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Trump’s alleged crimes.
“They knew what we were doing and why. Everyone was in the loop. It was no secret,” Sondland told Congress.
The ad also features Trump ally and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham contradicting himself, going back and forth between claiming that Trump having a quid pro quo deal with Ukraine would be “very disturbing,” and defending the president.
According to Sarah Longwell, Republican for the Rule of Law’s executive director, the group believes that the GOP needs to stand up to the president in order to defend the Constitution.
“Rather than fulfilling his oath to defend the Constitution, he tried to use the power of the government to strong-arm a friendly government into interfering on his behalf in the 2020 election,” she said.
“If the Republican Party claims to stand for national security, law and order, the rule of law, and accountable government, they can’t let this abuse stand,” Longwell continued.
According to Democrats in the House of Representatives, evidence suggests that Trump had a quid pro quo agreement with Ukraine, and his main goal was to benefit himself by effectively inviting foreign election meddling. According to House Democrats, Trump wanted to damage Democratic front-runner Joe Biden’s presidential bid.
The vast majority of congressional Republicans have stood by the president, defending his actions, and arguing — like the commander-in-chief himself frequently does — that impeachment is yet another attempt by the Democratic Party to unseat the president without voting him out of office.
