Senate GOP drives stake through talk of Trump censure – By Jordain Carney (The Hill) / Feb 5 2020
Senate Republicans are quickly shutting down talk of censuring President Trump over his decision to delay military aid to Ukraine and ask Kyiv to help with investigations into Democrats.
The idea of a censure was floated by Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Va.), a red-state Democrat who has not said how he will vote Wednesday on two House-passed articles of impeachment.
Manchin, speaking from the Senate floor Monday, predicted a “bipartisan majority” of the chamber would support a resolution that publicly scolded Trump over his behavior.
But the proposal soon ran into a buzz saw as Republican senator after Republican senator quickly shot down the idea, arguing that Democrats should have tried a censure, if that’s what they wanted, before starting down the path of impeachment.
“I think there’s some people that just want to tarnish what I expect will occur, which is the president will be acquitted,” said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), an adviser to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). “So, I don’t think there’s any support for a censure.”
Sen. Roy Blunt (Mo.), a member of GOP leadership, added that “censure has a potential place in the sequence, but I don’t think it’s after impeachment.”
Continue to article: https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/481512-senate-gop-drives-stake-through-talk-of-trump-censure
