Trump Offers Rare 'Respect' to Democrat, Says Gabbard 'Knew' Impeachment Was Wrong
When President Donald Trump singles out a Democrat, politics-watchers know the fur is about to fly.
But something different happened Saturday when Trump mentioned Democratic presidential candidate and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, who shunned the party line and voted “present” when House Democrats passed their articles of impeachment against the president Wednesday.
Trump was rollicking along in a speech at a Turning Point USA event Sunday in West Palm Beach, Florida, when he mocked 2016 Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton’s claim that Gabbard was a tool of the Russians, something Gabbard, a U.S. combat veteran, lashed out at the former secretary of state for claiming. Clinton had made a similar assertion about Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate for president in 2016.
“I don’t know Jill Stein. Jill Stein’s a fine woman. She’s not a Russian agent,” Trump said derisively.
“Then Tulsi Gabbard is a ‘weapon of Russia.’ And she lost all credibility,” he said.
“Tulsi Gabbard, I give her respect. She didn’t vote the other day. I give her a lot of respect because she knew it was wrong. She took a pass,” the president said. Gabbard was the only House Democrat to vote “present” when the articles of impeachment were voted upon.
“But I don’t know her, but I know one thing,” Trump said. “She is not an agent of Russia.”
Gabbard continued to chart her own course on the subject of impeachment Friday by criticizing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi after the California Democrat said she would delay sending the articles of impeachment passed by the House over to the Senate.
“I was surprised to hear that,” Gabbard told The Hill.
“You can’t kind of just shift and change and make up the rules as you go along,” she said. “If you’re going to pursue this process, you’ve got to let it play out the whole way through.”
Gabbard said delaying the process prolongs the bitterly partisan atmosphere in Washington.
The congresswoman has said she favored censuring Trump for his conduct in a July 25 phone call with the president of Ukraine.
Gabbard issued a statement explaining her decision to reject both parties and follow her own course.
“Throughout my life, whether through serving in the military or in Congress, I’ve always worked to do what is in the best interests of our country,” she wrote. “Not what’s best for me politically or what’s best for my political party. I have always put our country first. One may not always agree with my decision, but everyone should know that I will always do what I believe to be right for the country that I love. …
“I am standing in the center and have decided to vote Present. I could not in good conscience vote against impeachment because I believe President Trump is guilty of wrongdoing.
“I also could not in good conscience vote for impeachment because removal of a sitting President must not be the culmination of a partisan process, fueled by tribal animosities that have so gravely divided our country. When I cast my vote in support of the impeachment inquiry nearly three months ago, I said that in order to maintain the integrity of this solemn undertaking, it must not be a partisan endeavor. Tragically, that’s what it has been. …
My ‘present’ vote was an active protest against the zero-sum game the two opposing political sides have trapped America in. My vote and campaign is about freeing our country from this damaging mindset so we can work side-by-side to usher in a bright future for all #StandWithTulsi pic.twitter.com/nmhEL5bi4Q
— Tulsi Gabbard (@TulsiGabbard) December 19, 2019
“A house divided cannot stand. And today we are divided. Fragmentation and polarity are ripping our country apart. This breaks my heart, and breaks the hearts of all patriotic Americans, whether we are Democrats, Republicans, or Independents.
“So today, I come before you to make a stand for the center, to appeal to all of you to bridge our differences and stand up for the American people. My vote today is a vote for much needed reconciliation and hope that together we can heal our country. Let’s work side-by-side, seeking common ground, to usher in a bright future for the American people and our nation.”
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
