Republicans will do everything except 'stand up and defend the Constitution': Judiciary Democrat blasts GOP for shielding Trump

On Monday's edition of CNN's "The Situation Room," Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL) excoriated his Republican colleagues for staging stunts on the House floor to try to shield President Donald Trump from accountability in impeachment proceedings.

"Your Republican colleagues have taken President Trump's advice and going to try in the next hour or so to censure the House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff," said anchor Wolf Blitzer. "There will be a vote we're told. Maybe a procedural vote. First of all, set the scene. Tell us what will happen and is this appropriate?"

"Well, of course it is not appropriate," said Deutch, who sits on the House Judiciary Committee. "What would be appropriate would be for my Republican colleagues to do two things, Wolf. And it is what everyone has a right to expect of them. One, is to answer the question whether they think it is appropriate for the president of the United States to use his office to pressure a foreign government for political gain, to ask them to interfere in our elections, number one. And second, perhaps to go to the White House and tell the president that if he really thought that he did nothing wrong and if he thought that he had nothing to hide, then they would stop stonewalling Congress and try to prevent people from coming up here to speak with us. That is where their focus ought to be."

"Fortunately, we have brave diplomats and brave patriotic Americans who understand that our national security and the Constitution is more important than protecting the president," continued Deutch. "They're defying the president's orders and Secretary Pompeo's orders and coming here. But that is what the Republicans ought to be focused on. And unfortunately they're looking for every way to do anything except defend ultimately stand up and defend the Constitution, which is what their oath of office requires them."

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