As President Donald Trump and the White House prepare for the likelihood of an impeachment trial in the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate, his critics are coming out in force, including CNN’s Chris Cuomo, who on Friday night coined a new nickname for the president: “Dirty Donald.”
According to The Hill , as Cuomo slammed Republicans for their loyalty to the president during the impeachment investigation, he said that, while certain things the Republicans are doing might not technically be against the law, they’re what he labeled as “dirty” before flashing “#DirtyDonald” on screen and repeating the nickname.
“It’s not illegal, but there is another word that keeps seeming to fit so much what of this president and his pals do: dirty,” Cuomo said.
“Once again, this president’s pull on his party seems to trump all and the adherence to any oath doesn’t seem to matter except the loyalty oath to him,” Cuomo added.
The CNN anchor went on to slam Sen. Lindsey Graham for his admission that he would be working with the White House counsel during the Senate impeachment trial — a statement for which the Kentucky senator has received backlash from Democrats.
In an attempt to emphasize the “dirty” narrative, Cuomo also pointed out instances in the past, such as Trump’s payoff to Stormy Daniels, his refusal to release tax returns and remarks he’s made about gender.
Cuomo — an outspoken critic of the president — doubled down in a warning to Congressional Republicans, saying that they don’t have to look far for a reason to remove him and suggested their next course of action, according to Mediaite .
“You can see the wrong and still do right by this president. At least that way you’ll be able to say you took a clean look at the situation for what it obviously is instead of just doing this job and this country dirty,” Cuomo said.
“This President’s pull on his party seems to trump all. And the adherence to any oath doesn’t seem to matter other than the loyalty oath to him.”
In his #ClosingArgument , @ChrisCuomo reflects on Republicans’ willingness to blindly back Trump, even in the face of impeachment. pic.twitter.com/X9zbQVCRmO
— CNN (@CNN) December 14, 2019
On Saturday morning, Cuomo tweeted a quick question with a clip of his Friday night show, once again pushing his new nickname for the 45th president.
“Is it good for potus’ defenders to basically argue that being #DirtyDonald is ok?,” Cuomo tweeted .
The CNN anchor’s take on the situation came on the same day of an announcement by House Judiciary Committee Democrats that they were advancing both articles of impeachment against Trump, including obstruction of Congress and abuse of power.
Should the formal impeachment vote in the House successfully pass, as expected, the matter will be handed off to the Senate, where Trump has a number of Republican allies, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Graham.
Both senators will largely have control over how the impeachment trial plays out, offering the president an enhanced level of defense he didn’t have during the House portion of the impeachment inquiry.
