Ex-GOP lawmaker on Graham, Gaetz’s defense of Trump: ‘They look like fools’

Former GOP Rep. David Jolly (Fla.) tore into congressional Republicans over their defenses of President Trump against Democrats’ impeachment investigation, saying they “look like fools.” 

“What we’re seeing from House Republicans, frankly, is this childish behavior,” he said on MSNBC on Saturday. “They’re displaying an arrogance, an anger, an immaturity — they look like fools.”

{mosads}Republicans have railed against the House’s impeachment probe, with many saying the investigation is illegitimate since there has not yet been an official vote to start an inquiry.

However, they have also stayed relatively tight-lipped as to whether it was appropriate for Trump to ask Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden, a request that is at the heart of the probe.

“What Republicans should be doing … and I struggle with even saying this because they’re on the wrong side of history and I hate to give them counsel that I think is accurate. Stop arguing about the process. Stop doing the sit-ins. Stop doing the stupid stuff that is not believable,” Jolly said. “Frankly, the American people don’t care about the process.”

“From [Sen.] Lindsey Graham’s [R-S.C.] stupidity to [Rep.] Matt Gaetz’s [R-Fla.] stupidity, get that to a concise argument,” he added, saying the focus should not be on the process but instead on some defense that says Trump’s behavior is unimpeachable. 

Republicans, particularly those in the House, have been vocal in their defense of the president, with a group of GOP lawmakers recently storming a secure room to interrupt a closed-door deposition. However, some critics have cast the efforts as overly theatrical and potentially damaging.

“In short, they have compromised the security of the room,” Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) told reporters. “And they not only brought in their unauthorized devices; they may have brought in the Russian and Chinese with electronics in a secure space.”