Following his vote to convict President Trump on the impeachment charge of abuse of power, which ultimately failed, NBC Nightly News made their feelings clear and gave Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) a hero’s welcome. In back-to-back segments, they praised him for “voting his conscience over his party” and dubbed him “the president of the Republican resistance to Donald Trump.”
The gushing started with the report from Capitol Hill correspondent Kasie Hunt. “Today, Senator Mitt Romney, once the Republican presidential nominee, stood as his party's lone voice against President Trump,” she touted.
After noting Romney had split his votes and acquitted Trump of the obstruction of Congress charge, Hunt boasted how Romney “became the first senator ever to vote to convict the president of their own party in an impeachment trial.” The flip side of that factoid was the tacit admission that Democrats were uber-partisans.
Hunt spent a little bit of time recalling Romney’s flip-flopping when it came to the desire to be associated with Trump:
HUNT: Romney's vote, a final turn away from his rock I relationship with the President, who endorsed Romney's 2012 presidential bid. But ahead of Mr. Trump's election in 2016, Romney denounced him. Igniting a firestorm.
(…)
HUNT: The two appeared to make amends when Romney was rumored to be in the running for Trump's secretary of state. A job Romney didn't get. Two years later, winning a Senate seat.
“Tonight, voting his conscience over his party,” she boasted to cap off their relationship. Hunt then wrapped up the segment by noting the backlash from Republican circles and how “Romney did acknowledge himself that his vote could have consequences.”
In the follow-up segment, anchor Lester Holt brought on political director Chuck Todd and asked him to “put in perspective for us the President's acquittal and Senator Romney's vote to convict.”
“The Mitt Romney decision is a fascinating one for this reason: He is now the president of the Republican resistance to Donald Trump,” Todd proclaimed. “Right now he stands alone. The question will be will he be standing alone a year from now.”
As for the consequences of acquitting the President, Todd wasn’t sure. “But politically, short-term it may not have much of an impact. May -- could help short-term the President could help rally political bases. I do think it is a long-term impact. It is down the road that this will have potentially huge consequences. Whether the President wins reelection or not will have huge consequences,” he rhetorically shrugged.
Over on ABC’s World News Tonight, anchor David Muir fawned for Romney’s emotional speech explaining his decision. “But there was that decision from Mitt Romney, the speech he delivered on the floor, speaking of his faith and growing emotional about his decision, saying the President is guilty of, quote, ‘an appalling abuse of public trust,’” Muir touted.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
NBC Nightly News
February 5, 2020
7:04:05 p.m. EasternKASIE HUNT: I'm Kasie Hunt. Today, Senator Mitt Romney, once the Republican presidential nominee, stood as his party's lone voice against President Trump.
(…)
HUNT: Voting with Democrats in favor of convicting the President of abuse of power.
SEN. MITT ROMNEY: My faith is at the heart of who I am. [Transition] I take an oath before God as enormously consequential. I knew from the outset that being tasked with judging the President, the leader of my own party, would be the most difficult decision I have ever faced. I was not wrong.
HUNT: Romney, who did vote to acquit the President on the second article of impeachment--
(…)
HUNT: -- became the first senator ever to vote to convict the president of their own party in an impeachment trial.
(…)
HUNT: Romney's vote, a final turn away from his rock I relationship with the President, who endorsed Romney's 2012 presidential bid. But ahead of Mr. Trump's election in 2016, Romney denounced him. Igniting a firestorm.
(…)
HUNT: The two appeared to make amends when Romney was rumored to be in the running for Trump's secretary of state. A job Romney didn't get. Two years later, winning a Senate seat. Tonight, voting his conscience over his party.
ROMNEY: With my vote, I will tell my children, and their children, that I did my duty to the best of my ability, believing that my country expected it of me.
[Cuts back to live]
HUNT: Tonight, Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell says he was surprised and disappointed by Romney's vote. The President's son demanding that Romney be expelled from the Republican Party. That's unlikely here, but Romney did acknowledge himself that his vote could have consequences. Lester?
LESTER HOLT: All right. Kasie Hunt, thank you. Let's bring in Chuck Todd now. Chuck, put in perspective for us the President's acquittal and Senator Romney's vote to convict.
CHUCK TODD: Well, look, the one thing we have to understand about this entire impeachment saga is it is going to be a Seminole moment in of a Seminole period in American history. But politically, short-term it may not have much of an impact. May -- could help short-term the President could help rally political bases. I do think it is a long-term impact. It is down the road that this will have potentially huge consequences. Whether the President wins reelection or not will have huge consequences.
The Mitt Romney decision is a fascinating one for this reason: He is now the president of the Republican resistance to Donald Trump. Right now he stands alone. The question will be will he be standing alone a year from now.
HOLT: All right, Chuck, thanks for the analysis.
