Lamar Alexander Called Out For Refusing Witnesses While Admitting House Dems Proved Trump’s Quid Pro Quo: ‘HISTORIC Coward’
Tennessee Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander was ruthlessly ridiculed for his decision to reject witness testimony even as he conceded that House Democrats proved their case that President Donald Trump engaged in a quid pro quo with Ukraine to try to help his 2020 re-election.
Alexander’s announcement late Thursday night appeared to doom any chance of Senate Democrats cobbling together a 51-vote majority in favor of allowing additional witnesses or documents in Trump’s trial for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress charges. But it was Alexander’s tortured justification for denying further witness testimony, posted in a long Twitter thread, that incensed many political observers online, since the senator clearly admitted that the evidence showed the president was guilty of “inappropriately interfer[ing]” with Congressional aid to help his political fortunes, but that it didn’t matter because Trump’s actions didn’t rise to the level of “high crime or misdemeanor.”
There is no need for more evidence to conclude that the president withheld United States aid, at least in part, to pressure Ukraine to investigate the Bidens; the House managers have proved this with what they call a “mountain of overwhelming evidence.” 3/15
— Sen. Lamar Alexander (@SenAlexander) January 31, 2020
The reactions to Alexander’s logical gymnastics were not kind.
You are a HISTORIC coward.
— Mikel Jollett (@Mikel_Jollett) January 31, 2020
Seems I’m not alone in my feelings.#LamarAlexander #Coward pic.twitter.com/Xkbv41eji5
— Neil Haskell (@NeilHaskell) January 31, 2020
Just stunning for Lamar Alexander to say that he’s against witnesses because he knows Trump is guilty of withholding aid to Ukraine for investigations to help himself politically.
The precedent this sets will come back to haunt Republicans someday, and they will all deserve it.
— Josh Jordan (@NumbersMuncher) January 31, 2020
The heart of Lamar Alexander’s statement says the House proved Trump withheld military aid for Ukraine at least in part to pressure Ukraine to investigate the Bidens.
But says the Senate shouldn’t hear witnesses nor does he propose doing anything about it. https://t.co/2bIyoin14m
— Steven Dennis (@StevenTDennis) January 31, 2020
John Bolton is ready to swear on a Bible that the president did do it.
Lamar Alexander isn’t just voting to let him walk; he’s voting to prevent the Senate & the American people from hearing this testimony.
Impeaching DT isn’t partisan
bc he did it.
Defending DT is partisan. https://t.co/0neAC4pCpX— John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang) January 31, 2020
Yes, Lamar Alexander & the rest are cowardly, but let’s not let John Bolton off the hook. He could have made it possible for the House to call him as a witness, but it appears that he let his book deal get in the way.
Our Founders never thought there would be NO ONE to stand up.
— John Ziegler (@Zigmanfreud) January 31, 2020
@LamarAlexander sold out his country and agreed to vote “no” on witnesses & evidence so that @SenatorCollins could get away with a “yes” but only if it didn’t actually mean there’d be witnesses & evidence.
Lamar is retiring so he made the trade. His soul, for Susan’s fake vote— Cheri Jacobus (@CheriJacobus) January 31, 2020
A senator declares the president is free to break the law, free to exploit the country for personal gain.
Lamar Alexander could have shown courage. Instead he shows weakness and disgrace. https://t.co/mR6utX3rA9
— Anthony Breznican (@Breznican) January 31, 2020
Lamar Alexander votes NO but in his statement says it’s clear Trump held up defense money from our ally to sully Biden. And, people should consider that on Election Day??
— Debra Messing (@DebraMessing) January 31, 2020
The next time you criticize Never Trumpers about making fun of Rube Nation, remember that Lamar Alexander is so afraid of his fellow Tennesseans that he fired off his cowardly tweets and fled the Senate chamber rather than have to live among them after crossing Trump.
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) January 31, 2020
Shorter Lamar Alexander: Yes, Trump committed the crime, but I don’t care. https://t.co/wlTfLxFUts
— Kaili Joy Gray (@KailiJoy) January 31, 2020
Lamar Alexander: Trump did it.
Also Alexander: I don’t care.
And that, my friends, is what the history books will say about Lamar Alexander.
— Diana Butler Bass (@dianabutlerbass) January 31, 2020
The verdict is in on Lamar Alexander. Party over country. No integrity. No courage. No moral core. This is his legacy.
— Norman Ornstein (@NormOrnstein) January 31, 2020
The entirety of Lamar Alexander’s career tanked over 1 vote.
History will destroy him and should
— Shannon4OH (@ShannonFreshour) January 31, 2020
Alexander is an 80 year old man of great wealth and a lifetime as a governor and a senator, and he was still afraid to walk the streets of Tennessee if he voted *just to hear witnesses* in an impeachment trial. https://t.co/Yt8DP52FgA
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) January 31, 2020
To the bitter end, Lamar Alexander remains the epitome of the pseudo-moderate, sounding sensible but always finding a path to what his reactionary party wants. I’m old enough to remember when he was made of stronger stuff. https://t.co/7s74owZur8
— Ed Kilgore (@ed_kilgore) January 31, 2020
Lamar Alexander just loaded the gun Trump used to shoot someone on Fifth Ave. and as soon as the body was cold Susan Collins told Trump not to shoot
— Matt Oswalt (@MattOswaltVA) January 31, 2020
Lamar Alexander just said he was guilty! https://t.co/mCPgojoE3v
— Jory Rand (@ABC7Jory) January 31, 2020
Lamar Alexander another coward We won’t forget the ones who sold America down the drain
— Rosanna Arquette?✌? (@RoArquette) January 31, 2020
Of course they are. Especially now, with Lamar Alexander wimping out. They figure they’ve won, so they can do whatever the hell they want, the rest of us be damned.
We’re on the slippery slope to hell now, and those of us in the Fourth Estate are in the crosshairs.
— Michael King (@mhking) January 31, 2020
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