Earlier this week, in a 52-48 vote on the first article of impeachment and 53-47 on the second, the United States Senate acquitted President Donald Trump of all charges made by the House of Representatives. Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah was the only Republican to break ranks with his party, voting to convict Trump on the charge of abuse of power.
Romney has since faced intense criticism from the president and Republican lawmakers alike. Trump-aligned media figures are now ripping into the senator as well. During the opening statement of her Fox News show on Saturday, anchor Jeanine Pirro blasted Romney as a “snake,” urging him to vacate his seat in the Senate, according to Mediaite .
Pirro began the monologue by pointing out that Romney is the first senator in the history of the United States to vote to convict a member of his own party. “How dare he?! How could he?! And why would he?!” she shouted, before suggesting that Romney only voted to convict Trump in order to “impress” the Democrats.
During his speech on the Senate floor, Romney cited his conscience and his belief in God as the reasons he felt compelled to vote to convict the commander-in-chief. According to Pirro, Romney was disingenuous and only brought up religion because he needed an “excuse” to justify his actions.
Mitt dared to do what he thought was good for him individually. Not for the party, not for us and certainly not for America. He knew his vote would change nothing regarding impeachment but he tried to set himself up as a “leader” going against everyone else. #OpeningStatement pic.twitter.com/cuxJNlY3xH
— Jeanine Pirro (@JudgeJeanine) February 9, 2020
Pirro likened Romney to Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, who has also suggested in the past that she “prays” for Trump. “Who do these people think they’re fooling? What a bunch of phonies!” Pirro exclaimed, before dismissing witness testimonies and evidence uncovered in the impeachment probe.
The anchor concluded that Romney voted to convict Trump out of jealousy. According to Pirro, the senator is jealous of Trump because he can “never rise to the heights that he has.” She also blasted Romney for “choking” during the 2012 presidential debates, when he ran against former President Barack Obama.
“At your request Donald Trump supported you in 2012 and 2018 and like a snake in the grass, you turned on him,” Pirro blasted Romney. “I have an idea, you need to be removed from office! How about you get the hell out of the United States Senate!” she said.
“The people in Utah are furious with you! And your dream of endearing yourself to the Trump-hating left is a joke,” Pirro added.
Some Republicans appreciate Romney’s vote. Conservative advocacy group Republicans for the Rule of Law announced earlier this week that it will be launching an advertisement campaign , praising the senator for his vote to convict Trump.
