Vice President Mike Pence said it would be a “profile in courage” for a Senate Democrat to “stand up” and reject a “partisan impeachment passed by the Democrat-controlled House.”
“The question naturally arises: Who, among the Senate Democrats, will stand up to the passions of their party this time? Who will stand up against ’legislative mob rule’ and for the rule of law? Who will be the 2020 Profile in Courage?” Mr. Pence wrote in a Wall Street Journal piece published on Thursday.
Mr. Pence recalled how former President John F. Kennedy had applauded Sen. Edmund G. Ross of Kansas for bucking his party and voting to acquit former President Andrew Johnson at Johnson’s impeachment trial in 1868.
“Edmund Ross showed such grace on that fateful day in 1868. Will we see it again?” Mr. Pence wrote.
“Then as now, a political faction has forced a partisan impeachment through the House in the heat of an argument over a difference in policy,” he wrote. “Then as now, this faction has cheapened the impeachment process, which the Founders believed should be reserved for only the most grave abuses of the public trust.”
“But despite the focus on what a handful of Republican senators may do, the true profile in courage, as Kennedy understood it, would be a Senate Democrat willing to stand up and reject a partisan impeachment passed by the Democrat-controlled House,” Mr. Pence said.
Senators were sworn in for the impeachment trial on Thursday, with lawmakers set to reconvene on Tuesday.
President Trump is facing charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
Democrats say he intentionally withheld military aid to Ukraine unless the country agreed to announce politically beneficial investigations, including into former Vice President Joseph R. Biden, a top contender for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. Mr. Trump has denied any wrongdoing.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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