Thursday during an appearance on CNN, former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA), also a CNN contributor and a one-time adversary of Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT), explained how Romney’s decision to vote to convict and remove President Donald Trump in the impeachment trial put so-called vulnerable Republicans in a weaker position.
Santorum suggested Romney’s vote was motivated by his search for a “call to history” and his perception of Trump.
“Look, I’m sort of two minds of this. Did Mitt Romney, as you say, you know, have this sort of cathartic moment and felt like this was his call to history,” he said. “I think Mitt Romney has been looking for his call to history, and I think he felt like this was a moment to sort of stand up to a president that he doesn’t like. He doesn’t see as a man of high character or who is prudent, and I think through that lens, he felt he was doing the right thing.”
“I — on the other hand, I mean I look at the consequence of what he’s doing and, you know, I think most of his colleagues are not going to be particularly happy with him,” Santorum continued. “You know, as Mitch McConnell said yesterday, this was not as much to go out and get Donald Trump, this impeachment, but was to get, you know, control of the Senate and try to — and try to, you know, defeat a handful of Republicans who are up for re-election so the Democrats can take the Senate.”
“And I think Mitt Romney voting with the Democrats on this really makes these vulnerable Republicans more vulnerable,” he added. “And I think that’s where the pushback I think inside the caucus is going to be a lot harder on him.”
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