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January 3, 2020 Press Releases

What They’re Saying: “Classic” Senator Collins “Aligns” with McConnell on Impeachment, “Sounds Like She’s Covering for Trump”

More “Fence-Straddling” From Senator Collins, Who “Doesn’t Sound Like She’s Going to Do Anything” to Ensure a Fair Impeachment Trial

As she faces a tough re-election increasingly complicated by impeachment, Senator Collins tried to shift her stance on the upcoming trial earlier this week. But her comments are just another example of “fence-straddling” from Senator Collins, who “doesn’t sound like she’s going to do anything” to stand up to her party and demand a fair impeachment trial.

Here’s what they’re saying about Senator Collins’ “capitulations” to her party:

Jennifer Rubin (Washington Post): Susan Collins sounds like she’s covering for Trump

  • “In her never-ending quest to undermine her reputation as a straight-shooting, independent voice, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) continues to give Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) leeway to rig President Trump’s impeachment trial… Collins’s effort to put off the moment of reckoning is yet another in a series of spineless capitulations to her party…. It is a blatant violation of senators’ oaths to proceed with a trial designed to exclude evidence that became available only after the articles of impeachment passed the House. Collins and other Republicans need to demand a real trial, not a charade intended to exonerate the president.”

HuffPost: GOP Sen. Susan Collins Sides With Mitch McConnell On Impeachment Trial

  • “Collins’ stance on the parameters of the impeachment trial aligns her with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who has all but promised a swift acquittal of Trump.”

CNN’s Manu Raju:

CNN Legal Analyst Elie Honig:

MSNBC Contributor Joyce Vance:

MSNBC Morning Joe:

POLITICO’s Jake Sherman: “Well, first of all, let me just add to the Murkowski/Collins thing, which is what they’re not saying is ‘I will not vote for a rules package for impeachment unless it includes X.’ So in other words, they’re not actually making demands at this point, they’re just saying they are unhappy. Well, being unhappy is an emotion, it’s not a strategy, it’s not a tactic, it’s just an emotion. That’s good to know that they’re unhappy, but then what?”

CNN New Day:

CNN’s John Berman: “That only proves my point more. More fence-straddling from Susan Collins there. Saying yeah, she wants witnesses, she doesn’t quite understand why the House didn’t do it, doesn’t want them now, she’s uncomfortable with all of it, but doesn’t sound like she’s going to do anything about it.”

CNN The Lead with Jake Tapper:

CNN’s Jake Tapper: “Susan Collins says she’s open to having witnesses, she didn’t name any names. Is Phil right that ultimately this is just for the crowd back home, but when it comes down to it, she’ll probably just vote the way Mitch McConnell and the Republicans in the Senate vote?”

MSNBC Live:

Kurt Bardella: “I feel like we have seen this play before where there are Republicans might say they are concerned or disappointed about process, but at the end of the day, as we saw with the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation, she ended up voting for the guy despite concerns that were expressed earlier. At this point, rhetoric really doesn’t mean a whole lot. It’s what are you prepared to do on the record, how are you willing to cast your vote and take action?”

MSNBC Live:

Betsy Woodruff Swan: “Right, and that’s very much classic Susan Collins, indicating on the one hand that she’s open to bringing in people, but on the other hand, sort of very much stiff-arming any immediate action that would have to be taken.”

MSNBC Live:

Cynthia Alksne: “On the other hand, recognize that I don’t believe any of these senators, particularly Collins and Murkowski, are ever going to vote to do witnesses. They always hem and haw and sigh and wring their hands and lead people to believe they might do something differently, and then in the end, they vote with McConnell. Witness the Kavanaugh hearings. There was a lot of sighing and anguish and then Collins voted for Kavanaugh…”

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