Jaws dropped on Monday as Republican Congressman Ted Yoho admitted that he, too, would have met with a Russia-connected lawyer if it would help bring down Hillary Clinton.
The GOP congressman essentially shrugged off Donald Trump Jr.’s meeting with the Russian lawyer, saying, “It’s opposition research.”
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Was it appropriate for Trump Jr to take Russia meeting? Rep. Yoho: “I probably would have done the same thing… it’s opposition research†pic.twitter.com/UfddUVu2nO
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— The Situation Room (@CNNSitRoom) July 10, 2017
When asked by CNN’s Wolf Blitzer whether such a meeting during the campaign was an appropriate course of action, Rep. Yoho said this, with a straight face:
Do I think it’s appropriate? I think I probably would’ve done the same thing. I mean, it’s opposition research, and anybody that’s been in an election, you’re always looking to get the upper hand. … If somebody comes to us and says, “Hey we’ve got information on an opponent,” yeah, I think that’s an appropriate thing to do.
Even though the party of Ronald Reagan has been extinct for a long time, moments like this one – when a sitting congressman endorses collusion for political purposes – prove just how spineless and morally bankrupt the modern GOP has become.
Luckily, not all Republicans agreed. MSNBC host and former GOP congressman Joe Scarborough chimed in on Twitter, expressing outrage toward his own party for continuing to make excuses for this president:
What will Republicans NOT do to cover up for Donald Trump? https://t.co/kFNovMn49n
— Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) July 10, 2017
Not only does this administration continue to outdo itself when it comes to lowering a bar that has been below sea level since the campaign, but each day Republican leaders in Washington show that party trumps country each and every time.
In the case of the Florida congressman who called Trump Jr.’s actions “appropriate,” it’s even more troubling.
Rep. Yoho, who sits on the Foreign Affairs Committee in the House of Representatives, endorsed collusion with a foreign government so long as the person he supports is the beneficiary of that activity – because, hey, it’s politics.
It’s troubling enough to watch a U.S. president sell out his country to a foreign government – it’s a whole other level of disturbing to watch his party knowingly let him get away with it.
Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
