Friday on CNN’s “New Day,” Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY) agreed with the shift in terminology for President Donald Trump’s wrongdoing with Ukraine, saying “bribery is the right word” rather than saying Trump sought a quid pro quo.
Maloney told host John Berman it is “absurd” for Republicans to accuse Democrats of changing terminology for the sake of strengthening their argument against the president.
“It was the Republicans who said there was no quid pro quo,” Maloney argued. “When that defense was detonated by the facts and the evidence, they stopped asserting there was no quid pro quo. But, of course, quid pro quo is just a Latin term that basically means bribery. So, if it helps people understand what we’re talking about, bribery is the right word.
He added, “You can call it a variety of things, Mr. Berman. You can call it corrupt, you can call it bribery, you can call it extortion. … I call it selling out your country for some grimy political interest. It’s beneath any president.”
Follow Trent Baker on Twitter @MagnifiTrent
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