Donald Trump Was Impeached ‘Because He’s Winning In So Many Ways,’ Says Mike Pence’s Chief Of Staff
In an interview broadcast on Sunday, Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff, Marc Short, weighed in on the impeachment of President Donald Trump, reports The Hill.
According to Short, Democrats impeached Trump because he keeps “winning.”
“I think that right now the West Wing and the White House is understanding that the reason that the president is being impeached is because he’s winning in so many ways,” Short said, touting what he claims are Trump’s most significant victories in terms of building up the military and improving the economy.
“He won on taxes, the economy is booming, there’s record low unemployment, the military is getting refunded, we’re striking new trade deals,” Short said.
Predicting that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer will eventually come to an agreement about the impeachment trial, Short blasted Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi.
Pelosi is refusing to send the articles of impeachment to the Senate. The speaker is holding the articles back in order to pressure McConnell to commit to holding a full, impartial trial, which he is refusing to do.
Short suggested that Pelosi is contradicting her prior statements.
“How can you possibly justify the contrast to say this is urgent to then say ‘well, we’ll have to wait and see?” he asked.
The GOP-controlled Senate is expected to acquit Trump, but it remains to be seen whether witnesses will be allowed or not. Behind the scenes, Schumer has been negotiating with McConnell to allow witnesses who were banned from testifying before the House, but Republicans remain opposed to the idea.
According to Short, Trump is “open to witnesses” in the Senate trial, but the American public would be opposed to an extended proceeding.
TODAY: In response to an op-ed from Christianity Today, @marcshort45 says it is "no surprise that evangelicals are not monolithic in their political viewpoints." #MTP #IfItsSunday pic.twitter.com/RjoP2qEjwm
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) December 22, 2019
According to House Democrats, Trump is guilty of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The president committed the impeachable offenses during and after his contacts with the Ukrainian government when he allegedly pressured the country’s authorities to launch investigations into his political rivals, they claim.
Trump, Democrats claim, invited foreign meddling in the 2020 election by threatening to cut military aid unless Ukraine investigates one of the top Democratic presidential contenders, former Vice President Joe Biden. Trump and his Republican allies have pushed back against Democratic accusations arguing that Democrats collaborated with the Ukrainian government during the 2016 presidential election.
Trump has reportedly “gone through the full range of emotions” since being impeached, but remains energized by impeachment and new legislative victories. The president’s ever-changing mood, those close to him anonymously told the press, is driven by media coverage.
