(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Infamous Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, made remarks on Wednesday in favor of former President Donald Trump, potentially positioning himself for an audition for a role in a future Trump administration.
In an interview with MSNBC host Stephanie Ruhle, Romney expressed hypothetical support for pardoning Trump, stating, “Had I been President [Joe] Biden, when the Justice Department brought out indictments, I would have immediately pardoned him.”
He emphasized, “Frankly, the country doesn’t want to have to go through prosecuting a former president.”
In an exclusive interview with @SRuhle, Senator Mitt Romney says that if he were President Biden, he would have pardoned Donald Trump. Watch the full interview TONIGHT on @11thHour at 11pm ET. pic.twitter.com/Hujb1ysojO
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) May 15, 2024
Romney’s recent statements in favor of Trump contrast sharply with his previous criticisms and actions.
In 2016, Romney, initially a vocal critic of Trump, shifted his stance when he vied for the position of secretary of state in Trump’s cabinet.
However, after being snubbed for the role, Romney’s attitude toward Trump soured, leading to his support of both impeachment efforts led by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., against the former president.
During the 2020 impeachment proceedings, Romney voted in favor of impeaching Trump, citing allegations of abuse of power related to purported threats to withhold congressionally approved aid to Ukraine.
“The President asked a foreign government to investigate his political rival,” Romney claimed, echoing the Democratic Party’s talking point at the time.
“The President withheld vital military funds from that government to press it to do so. … Accordingly, the President is guilty of an appalling abuse of the public trust,” he added.
Despite similar accusations leveled against President Joe Biden, he faced no impeachment threats, unlike his predecessor.
In 2021, Romney once again aligned with Democrats in voting to impeach Trump, this time over alleged “incitement of insurrection” in connection with the Jan. 6 protest at the U.S. Capitol
“After careful consideration of the respective counsels’ arguments, I have concluded that President Trump is guilty of the charge made by the House of Representatives,” Romney reiterated, echoing partisan sentiments from the left.
Romney’s recent remarks coincide with increasing speculation about Trump’s potential return to the White House, as shown by various swing state polls.
Despite Trump’s willingness to reconcile with former adversaries, it is unlikely that he would welcome Romney, once a prominent figure in the GOP, who has since been labeled by many as a “RINO,” or Republican In Name Only.
