Last updated on February 12th, 2021 at 04:03 pm
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) went on MSNBC to defend Donald Trump during his impeachment trial, and it was a total disaster.
Video:
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) tried to go on television to defend Trump and it did not go well. As she kept falsely claiming that Trump wasn’t president when he was impeached, and then suggested criminal charges for Trump. pic.twitter.com/oyYMu8giIP
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— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) February 11, 2021
Rep. Mace was asked about impeachment and answered, ” I mean, when you look at the rhetoric, it can lead to violence. We saw that in the days — I have been one of the most vocal members of the party regarding the impeachment. When the house voted, it eliminated due process. If you can eliminate due process for the president, you have a precedent where you can eliminate it for anyone. That’s not a good precedent for our nation. For the same reasons, I voted against impeachment or to certify the electoral college because of the constitution. Impeaching a president who is no longer president has never been done before in this country.”
Craig Melvin corrected her, “Right. This is a second impeachment trial. We have never impeached a president who is no longer president. That’s never been done in our nation’s history to my knowledge.”
Mace kept repeating her false statement, and finally, Chuck Todd laid it out for her, “You keep saying that. Congresswoman, that’s not the fact of the case. He was President Of The United States when he was impeached. He is an impeached president even if he isn’t convicted. He was president when impeached. The constitutionality question is also answered by the U.S. Senate. Our constitution says the senate handles all trials. It’s up to them. They have said this is constitutional. I know it’s your opinion it’s not. Now that it is deemed constitutional and it’s impeached, what do you do?”
Mace suggested criminal charges against Trump, “Well, if prosecutors do believe that he incited an attack on the Capitol. There’s a criminal court where they can file charges in this instance would be another option.”
The whole appearance was a disaster for Trump. When the people defending the former president are suggesting that maybe he should face criminal charges, that’s a big problem. The constitutional argument is a farce. The free speech argument is an insult to the Constitution, and Republicans look like a fringe cult who think that sending their messiah to criminal court martyrdom is a reasonable alternative to impeachment.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
