Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) criticized Democrats for pursuing impeachment against former President Donald Trump, adding they should “give the man a break” after previously telling members of the Republican National Committee (RNC) Trump’s post-election actions “will be judged harshly by history.”
“The actions of the president … post-Election Day were not great. What happened on January 6 was not great. Does he [Trump] deserve to be impeached? Absolutely not,” Haley told Fox News’s Laura Ingraham, stating she would “absolutely” vote against it.
“I don’t even think there’s a basis for impeachment. I mean the idea that they’re even bringing this up — they didn’t even have a hearing in the House,” Haley explained, blasting the Democrats over what many critics describe as a feigned call for unity.
“Now they’re going to turn around and bring about impeachment, yet they say they’re for unity. I mean they beat him up before he got into office. They’re beating him up after he leaves office. I mean at some point, I mean, give the man a break,” Haley continued, urging Democrats to “move on.”
“If you truly are about moving on, move on. The idea that they’re going to do an impeachment, that’s not going to bring our country together,” she added. “That’s only dividing our country”:
The remarks stand in stark contrast to those Haley delivered earlier this month following the January 6 Capitol protest.
“President Trump has not always chosen the right words,” Haley said during the closed-door RNC speech.
“He was wrong with his words in Charlottesville, and I told him so at the time. He was badly wrong with his words yesterday. And it wasn’t just his words,” she continued, warning that his “actions since Election Day will be judged harshly by history.”
The former South Carolina governor added the Republican Party must lead the way and “talk about our major differences.”
“But we must stop turning the American people against each other — and this Republican Party must lead the way,” she added.
That same week, Haley criticized Big Tech as it moved to censor the former president, with Twitter permanently suspending Trump’s personal account:
Haley endorsed Trump’s reelection bid in her August RNC convention speech while seemingly setting up her own political future as well.