Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) on Tuesday night brought a Ukrainian flag with him to President Trump’s State of the Union address to show that Democrats stood with an “ally he tried to extort.”
Pascrell, whose office was tweeting throughout Trump’s speech, confirmed on Twitter that he carried a Ukrainian flag onto the House floor as part of a nod to the allegations at the center of the president’s impeachment.
The House in December voted to impeach Trump of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress following an inquiry into his alleged dealings with Ukraine. Trump is accused of withholding nearly $400 million in military aid in an attempt to get the country to announce investigations into his political rivals, including 2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden.
The Senate impeachment trial began last month and is expected to end in an acquittal on Wednesday. The likely acquittal will come after Republicans blocked a motion to allow additional witnesses and documents in the trial.
Trump and his GOP allies have repeatedly dismissed charges that Trump’s conduct represented malfeasance, instead contending that the impeachment was an effort to reverse the results of the 2016 election.
Pascrell said earlier Tuesday that Republican members of Congress would “validate virtually any criminal act [Trump] commits.”