Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on Tuesday said President Donald Trump comparing the House Democrats’ impeachment inquiry to “a lynching” was “unfortunate.”
“Given the history in our country, I would not compare this to a lynching. That was an unfortunate choice of words,” McConnell told reporters during a press conference, but added that he shared the president’s view that the House Democrats’ impeachment probe is deeply flawed.
“It is an unfair process,” he added. “A better way to characterize it would be to call it an unfair process and inconsistent with the kinds of procedural safeguards that are routinely provided for people in this situation, either in court or in an impeachment process in our country.”
Senate Majority Leader McConnell on President Trump’s comparison of the impeachment effort against him to “a lynching”:
“Given the history in our country, I would not compare this to a lynching. That was an unfortunate choice of words.” pic.twitter.com/3zEDZzwv9y
— NBC News (@NBCNews) October 22, 2019
Earlier Tuesday, President Trump labeled the impeachment inquiry as a “lynching,” stating that the probe has no legal basis.
“So some day, if a Democrat becomes President and the Republicans win the House, even by a tiny margin, they can impeach the President, without due process or fairness or any legal rights,” the president tweeted. “All Republicans must remember what they are witnessing here – a lynching. But we will WIN!”
So some day, if a Democrat becomes President and the Republicans win the House, even by a tiny margin, they can impeach the President, without due process or fairness or any legal rights. All Republicans must remember what they are witnessing here – a lynching. But we will WIN!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 22, 2019
Democrats raced to condemn the president’s remark, branding it “despicable and disgusting,” while accusing him of being a “white supremacist.”
“Impeachment is not ‘lynching,’ it is part of our Constitution. Our country has a dark, shameful history with lynching, and to even think about making this comparison is abhorrent,” tweeted former Vice President and 2020 Democrat presidential frontrunner Joe Biden. “It’s despicable.”
Impeachment is not “lynching,” it is part of our Constitution. Our country has a dark, shameful history with lynching, and to even think about making this comparison is abhorrent. It’s despicable. https://t.co/QcC25vhNeb
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) October 22, 2019
“Lynching is a reprehensible stain on this nation’s history, as is this President,” stated fellow White House hopeful Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA). “We’ll never erase the pain and trauma of lynching, and to invoke that torture to whitewash your own corruption is disgraceful.”
Lynching is a reprehensible stain on this nation’s history, as is this President. We’ll never erase the pain and trauma of lynching, and to invoke that torture to whitewash your own corruption is disgraceful. https://t.co/XOlsazwwRL
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) October 22, 2019
Flailing presidential candidate and former Rep. Robert Francis “Beto” O’Rourke tweeted, “The legacy of slavery, segregation, Jim Crow, and suppression is alive and well in every part of this country—including in the White House where the president is a white supremacist.”
The legacy of slavery, segregation, Jim Crow, and suppression is alive and well in every part of this country—including in the White House where the president is a white supremacist. https://t.co/q4rCTuQRon
— Beto O’Rourke (@BetoORourke) October 22, 2019
“Lynching is an act of terror used to uphold white supremacy. Try again,” added another White House contender Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ).
Lynching is an act of terror used to uphold white supremacy. Try again. pic.twitter.com/TcDR01XelB
— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) October 22, 2019
