MSNBC's Joe Scarborough shamed Republican senators for continuing to ignore the damning impeachment evidence against President Donald Trump -- and singled out Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) for "embarrassing herself."
The "Morning Joe" host called on GOP lawmakers to uphold their oaths and hold a fair impeachment trial, and reminded them that history will remember their actions.
"All of these people who are going to be called out, I promise you," Scarborough said. "I say this to you as your buddy. You're going to be called out. You might as well do what Lev (Parnas) did, and come clean. Mike Pence, history's going to record your deeds. Get in front of them. No need to talk to (Attorney General Bill) Barr -- he's corrupt to the core."
Scarborough cited the history of Richard Nixon's impeachment and resignation.
"Does anybody remember who voted for impeachment or who voted for articles of impeachment when Nixon -- no," he said. "They remember the people that stood on the side of right. They remember a senator from Tennessee who actually had the courage, even in the state of Tennessee, where you are right now to say words that actually, he's dead. But those words continue to ring and will ring through history, because they came from a partisan Republican who said, what did the president know, and when did the president know it. Those words will be read in histories books for 100 years, and Howard Baker will be remembered as a man of virtue because of it."
"What Republicans, what names, will children and grandchildren be able to read of their fathers and mothers and take pride in that? Scarborough added. "I hope by the end of this sorry spectacle we could say scores. Nothing would make me prouder of these people that I've known for years and worked with, but that really is a question, isn't it? Who are the Howard Bakers that history will remember as men and women of virtue?"
Scarborough said the evidence demands a full hearing in the Senate impeachment trial.
"This is not about a final vote on impeachment," he said. "People can disagree. Even if all the information comes out, there may be senators who say, you know what? This is shameful. I vote to censure but we're not going to overturn the results of an election over this. People could make that argument, and we could have a good-faith debate over that. But when you have the head of the Senate, the senate majority leader saying we're not going to have a fair trial, I'm going to coordinate this with Donald Trump, with the defendant. It's going to be a scam trial, like they'd run in Moscow, and that's what 'Moscow Mitch' (McConnell), of course, would do -- his default, and then Lindsey Graham, actually, chairman of the Judiciary Committee for the United States Senate, a position that used to be held in high esteem, saying he wasn't interested in even hearing the facts."
"This, of course, just a few weeks after saying, if there were a quid pro quo, then that would be troubling, and you would be very concerned," Scarborough added. "Or you have Susan Collins yesterday, again, just embarrassing herself. Again, not wanting a fair trial, not wanting to get information to let Americans know the nature of their president, the nature of their presidency, and how it impacts America on the world stage. How it's impacting a democracy that has been invaded by Donald Trump's hero Vladimir Putin, and I say Donald Trump's hero -- if he's not his hero, please, give me evidence of anytime that Donald Trump has not kowtowed to him in person or when speaking of him."
