According to Mitt Romney, the majority of Republican lawmakers were frightened of reprisals from Trump followers, which is why they refrained from impeaching the previous president throughout his administration.
Mitt Romney Gave the Revelation to Biographer McKay Coppins
Mitt Romney disclosed the news to biographer McKay Coppins, who is now marketing his latest book, Reckoning. The attention-grabbing section of Coppins’ book suggests that Republicans feared retaliatory assaults if they impeached Trump, something that many of them desired to accomplish.
‘The Threat of Political Violence’ in Elected Republicans’ Psychology
Coppins stated, “One of the biggest revelations to me in my conversations with Romney was just how important the threat of political violence was to the psychology of elected Republicans today.” Republicans who sought to remove the previous president from office changed their minds because they feared for their safety.
‘A Really Uncomfortable Question’
“They were afraid of what Trump supporters might do to them or their families.” That “raises a really uncomfortable question,” Coppins said, which is, “How long can the American project last if elected officials from one of the major parties are making their political decisions based on fear of physical violence from their constituents?” In the race for president in 2024, Donald Trump is still the front-runner for the Republican nomination.
Manifestation of the Shift in American Politics
Alongside the announcement that Romney will not run for reelection, an extract from the impending biography of the senator by McKay Coppins of the Atlantic was published. One example of how American politics has changed in the last ten years, especially on the right, is shown in it: the emergence of political violence and violent threats.
‘Trump Would Be Impeached by House Democrats’
Romney told Coppins about the discussions he had with the former president Donald Trump about his impeachment after the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021. According to Coppins, “one Republican congressman confided to Romney that he wanted to vote for Trump’s second impeachment, but chose not to out of fear for his family’s safety.” “The congressman reasoned that Trump would be impeached by House Democrats with or without him — why put his wife and children at risk if it wouldn’t change the outcome?”
‘Think of Your Personal Safety. Think of Your Children’
“Later, during the Senate trial, Romney heard the same calculation while talking with a small group of Republican colleagues. When one senator, a member of leadership, said he was leaning toward voting to convict, the others urged him to reconsider. You can’t do that, Romney recalled someone saying. Think of your personal safety, said another. Think of your children. The senator eventually decided they were right.”
More Speak Up Exposing Trump’s Incessant Threats
This isn’t exactly a revelation. Aaron Blake of The Washington Post compiled other such accounts that surfaced as the country evaluated the riot’s aftermath. Former NFL player Anthony Gonzalez (R), a former congressman from Ohio, felt that standing up to Trump would put his family at too great of a risk due to the animosity he encountered.
Republican Party Boycotts Legislators on Trump’s Orders
Representative Liz Cheney (R-Wyoming) and Representative Peter Meijer (R-Michigan) both mentioned hearing similar concerns from other lawmakers. It is no surprise that all three of these were once lawmakers; they quit or lost in primaries mostly because they realized the party was no longer supporting them.
Capitol Riot Was Not an Isolated Incident
In mid-January 2021, there was reason to be concerned about the risks associated with political violence. However, the commotion at the Capitol was neither the beginning nor the end of the threat.
Record High Threats During Trump’s Presidency
During Trump’s presidency, the U.S. Capitol Police, who suffered several injuries protecting the Capitol that day, recorded an increase in threats against their protectees. Although the department’s number of threat investigations decreased in 2022, there were still over twice as many threats as there were in 2017.
‘Not a Problem We Can Arrest Our Way Out Of’
The consulting psychologist for the U.S. Capitol Police, Mario Scalora, stated in a statement this year that “overall, during the last couple of decades the Threat Assessment Section’s caseload has increased because people on social media have a false sense of anonymity and feel more emboldened.” “This is not a problem we can only arrest our way out of.”
Threat Against Legislators Perceived as ‘Credible’
That is undoubtedly a contributing factor: sending a threat to a public person or elected official is really simple, and it simply requires digital fingerprints to be left behind. The key issue, though, is that even in the absence of a real danger to the lawmakers Romney spoke with, their perception of the threat was real, which had an impact on their choices.
Threats Emerging From Both Ends of the Political Spectrum
Threats indeed come from all sides of the political spectrum. We may cite the gunman who wounded House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) in Virginia in 2017 or the threats made against the justices of the Supreme Court last year. However, evidence indicates that the political right is more likely to support both the outbreak and the adoption of political violence.
Violent Political Marketing and Rhetoric
Katherine Stewart of The New Republic covered a recent fringe-right event in Las Vegas while working as a reporter for the publication. She described aggressive speech and marketing, exaggerating that feeling in comparison to other events she had been to.
‘For This Crowd, Trump’s Multiple Arrests and Indictments Are Not a Setback’
“What turned up the dial on violent fantasies among this sorry group?” she remarked. “The short answer is obvious after the first round of speeches and conversations: It is the indictments of Donald Trump. For this crowd, Trump’s multiple arrests and indictments are not a setback; they are proof positive of their fondest fears.” The threat and, most likely, the dread of it both endure. Terror remains a powerful political force.
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