Appearing on CNN on Thanksgiving morning, former Rep. Charlie Dent (R-PA) said he doesn't see his former GOP colleagues jumping on the Donald Trump impeachment train any time soon, but claimed that they privately tell him that defending the president has become "absolutely exhausting."
Speaking with host Ana Cabrera, Dent admitted that, based on what he has heard, Trump has committed offenses that rise to the level of impeachment, but feels the Democrats have much more to offer before going to trial.
"I certainly would have voted for the impeachment inquiry based on the facts as I understand them now, I do think this rises to the level of impeachment and I would probably support it," he began. "That said, I don't think the Democrats should move forward on impeachment until they hear from some of these primary witnesses like John Bolton and Mick Mulvaney and the Secretary of State [Mike Pompeo] himself. I think they need to close that loop and I don't think they should force this or rush this. By the same token, neither should the Senate Republicans force or rush a trial."
"We haven't even heard Republicans expressing really any concern over what came out of the past couple of weeks hearings," host Cabrera asked. "Did you recognize your former Republican colleagues this past couple of weeks?"
"I think my former colleagues are in a situation where they understand their base pressure, the base has not yet -- has not yet bolted from the president," he admitted. "I think that's why they're standing with the president for the moment. But there's no question, having spoken to many of them privately, they're absolutely disgusted and exhausted by the president's behavior. They resent being put in this position all the time."
"Take, for example, Ana, they tried -- remember how they tried to pivot from the Ukraine scandal a few weeks ago by pivoting to Doral, bringing the G7 here, one corrupt act to another?" he continued. "Those types of head-exploding moments are just infuriating these members and I think they'd like to step out but they just can't because of their base at the moment."
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