A.G. Gancarski
Neither Florida U.S. Senator required 280 characters to signal hard opposition to the impending impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump.
In tweets Tuesday morning, both Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott characterized Trump’s second trial, slated for the Senate this winter, as mere political theater.
At 8:19 a.m., Rubio fumed that the whole thing was a “waste of time.”
“Waste of time impeachment isn’t about accountability,” Rubio remonstrated. “It’s about demands from vengeance from the radical left. And a new ‘show’ for the ‘Political Entertainment Industry’.”
Minus air quotes, Florida’s Junior Senator made essentially the same point.
“This impeachment is nothing more than political theater. The Democrats are confusing the U.S. Capitol, where we should be helping the American people, with another big white building in DC that specializes in theater and shows…. the Kennedy Center. It’s time to get back to work,” Scott urged.
The tweets memorialized the Senators’ established position on the process, which clearly didn’t move when House impeachment managers delivered the charge to the Senate Monday evening.
Rubio and Scott are not alone. Seventeen Republicans, at the least, will have to vote to convict Trump, and it doesn’t appear the numbers are there.
Rubio mused that an impeachment trial would be like “pouring gasoline onto a fire,” suggesting that it could stoke tensions in the public.
“The first chance I get to vote to end this trial, I’ll do it,” Florida’s senior Senator vowed on “Fox News Sunday,” “because I think it’s bad for America.”
Rubio argued that Trump “bears some responsibility” for the violence inflicted by his supporters on Jan. 6, but that a Senate trial would “stir it up even more.”
Rubio went on to warn that “we’re going to jump right back into what we’ve been doing for the last five years and stirring it up again with a trial.”
“It’s going to stir it up even more and make it harder to get things done going forward,” he said, predicting that a Senate trial would fuel the political divisions that “turned us into a country of people who hate each other.”
Scott has likewise warned that the trial could stoke tensions.
“All these vendettas against the past: it makes no sense,” Scott said on Jan. 11. “This should be a time of unity, of hope for the future. That’s not what they’re doing.”
14 comments
Clare M Kirchman
January 26, 2021 at 1:32 pm
I don’t think the GOP has given this much thought beyond just not liking it or they have and don’t care. An acquittal would mean that it is permissible for a President who has just lost the election to incite supporters to try to take over the government. Once their term is coming to an end- anything is acceptable. On the last few days of their term, they could kill their opponents or jail them and nothing would happen because once their term is over, they cannot be prosecuted for behavior during their term. It becomes “a waste of time” because their term is up so what does it matter? It matters because we want to give a clear message to future Presidents that even if you commit crimes the day before you leave office, you will be held to account to our democracy.
Reba Powers
January 26, 2021 at 4:11 pm
I think we should hold Trump & the ones who stormed the Capital accountable. Doesn’t everyone believe in law & order?
Ron Ogden
January 26, 2021 at 8:30 pm
No one can show where President Trump incited anyone. In fact, he called for peaceful protest. The right of the public to have their grievances heard is fundamental to “democracy,” even when the elitists who think they are in charge of our federal government don’t want to hear what they say. Protests get out of hand, but the patriots of January 6th left when told to. Meanwhile, in Oregon, the “favored” protests of the left have conducted an enemy occupation for months and the mainstream media–the hypocrites–have ignored it.
Palmer Tom
January 26, 2021 at 11:54 pm
There’s a big difference between occupying a city park and occupying the Capitol. The mob only left after reinforcements arrived and forced them out. Just for the record, I think both occupying groups are loony as hell.
No Longer A Republican
January 27, 2021 at 12:27 am
Marco Rubio is starting to age very dramatically and very unpleasantly. He looks almost as old as that turtle faced colleague he’s standing next to, Rick Medicare. Oops, I meant Rick Scott.
With that said, the Republican party is now a party of white supremacy and fascism. The attack on Jan. 6 was a horrific criminal siege–one orchestrated by the former president.
And it wasn’t just an attack on a building: It was an attack on everything the Constitution stands for.
Its pretty shocking that this is what the GOP has allowed itself to become, but I can assure you, I’ll never vote Republican again ever in my life.
Sonja Fitch
January 27, 2021 at 6:08 am
Everything you said! Vote Democrat up and down ballot for 2022!
Carol
January 27, 2021 at 8:27 am
To me, holding accountable those that promoted and attempted a coup, violence toward our duly elected leaders, and domestic terrorism is a common sense, law and order approach. I find the approach of “move on, it was no big deal, there is nothing to see here” is the real political theater. (More gaslighting and wow is it exhausting.) GOP, you are either in support of the rule of law, violence and domestic terrorism, or you are not. There is no nuance here. You are either in support of the foundational values of our nation or you are not. OK. I forgot. The nuance is what will Trump do if you stand up for what is right and in the best interest of the country rather than for what soothes his fragile ego…in other words what is in the best interest of your own political career.
Charlotte Greenbarg
January 27, 2021 at 9:14 am
Ah, the far left trolls are busy today. Democrats lost House seats, won 2 Senate seats b/c of R mistakes. 2022 midterms will turn both R.
Even CJ Roberts washed his hands of the “trial.”
A. Boccumini
January 27, 2021 at 9:49 am
Who started the divisiveness? Who never said a word while Trump and GOP members of congress continued to divide this country over the past four years? Now these two jackboots are concerned about divisiveness? Get outta here with that crap! Just disgusting!!
PeterH
January 27, 2021 at 1:24 pm
Here are a few facts. Republicans cannot win elections without racist, white supremacist, QAnon, and America’s uneducated….. many who are very impressionable. Republicans second strategy to win elections is voter suppression. Republicans absolutely cannot tolerate simplified ‘mail in’ voting. Republicans are dependent on ensuring that Democrat strongholds have long voting lines …. to discourage voter participation. Scott and Marco are totally dependent on these deplorable supporters.
It makes perfect sense that Marco Rubio would call impeachment divisive! Marco and Rick are masters at divisive rhetoric.
Sonja Fitch
January 27, 2021 at 2:36 pm
Qanon is run by Russian operatives. Qanon is a bunch of gamers that got carried away!
Qanon has made these folks froth at the mouth over lies! Pitiful.
Qanon are trolls that sold folks a bag of lies ! Lol not!
James Robert Miles
January 27, 2021 at 9:30 pm
Rubio and Scott are less useful than “tits on a bull!” Florida has NO Senate representatives. Just two looney tunes who are in it for their own interests! Who cares what they say about ANYTHING!
tjb
January 28, 2021 at 8:55 am
They now complain about political theater when we had a tumultuous and sickly reality show in the Whaite House for the past 4 years. Why were they silent then?
Beth M.
January 31, 2021 at 1:23 am
Rubio and Scott support a sociopath who ran a murderous coup to overthrow the US government. Neither one gives a damn about this country, they went into politics to line their own pockets. They are two corrupt, anti American traitors who sell their votes to the highest bidders. They have no business being in our government.
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