Rep. Jim Himes Argues Against the Term Quid Pro Quo: Better to Say Trump ‘Extorted’ Ukraine Like a ‘Mob Boss’

Rep. Jim Himes argued that “quid pro quo” is not an effective term to describe the actions of President Donald Trump during a Sunday morning with Meet the Press anchor Chuck Todd.

The Latin phrase that translates in English to “something for something” has become a common phrase surrounding the impeachment inquiry into the Trump administration’s admitted withholding of Congressionally-approved military aid to Ukraine, in exchange for public investigations into former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden.

But as Himes sees it, the Latin phrase has limitations in accurately describing with President Trump is alleged to have done.

“When are you trying to persuade the American people of something really pretty simple, which is that the president acted criminally and extorted in the way a mob boss would extort somebody, a vulnerable foreign country,” the House Intel committee member argued, “it is probably best not to use Latin words to explain it.”

The other thing he objects to is “this is where the Republicans went, extortion doesn’t require a ‘you give me this and I’ll give you that kind of quid pro quo’,” Himes said. “It simply requires using your muscle to get something that you don’t have a right to.”

“The crowning absurdity is, they’re all pretty much admitting–because Ambassador Sondland has refreshed his recollection–they are all basically admitting there was a quid pro quo, go, it wasn’t that bad, it was exactly the same thing as Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton,” Himes finished.

Watch above via NBC News.