Alexander declines to endorse censure of Trump

Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) — who in a statement last week called President Trump’s conduct “inappropriate” — has shown no inclination to also endorse a resolution formally censuring Trump.

“I’ve said what I have to say about all of this,” Alexander said Tuesday when asked about possibly supporting a censure resolution floated by Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Va.), a centrist Democrat.

Alexander is a prime target for Manchin’s effort to build bipartisan support for a censure of Trump.

He was one of four Senate Republicans who last week deliberated voting for subpoenas of additional witnesses and documents; however, he eventually voted with 50 other colleagues against extending the impeachment trial.

The Tennessee senator last week called Trump’s order to freeze military aid to Ukraine in an attempt to spur an investigation of former Vice President Joe Biden “inappropriate.” 

“It was inappropriate for the president to ask a foreign leader to investigate his political opponent and to withhold United States aid to encourage that investigation,” Alexander said in a statement issued Thursday evening. “When elected officials inappropriately interfere with such investigations, it undermines the principle of equal justice under the law.”

Alexander said that the House impeachment managers had provided a “mountain of evidence” to prove their claim that Trump held the assistance to pressure Ukrainian officials to announce an investigation.

He followed up that statement with an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” in which he told host Chuck Todd, “I think he shouldn’t have done it. I think it was wrong.” 

But Alexander said the misconduct was “a long way from treason, bribery, high crimes and misdemeanors,” which is the constitutional standard for removing a president from office. He said the public should decide Trump’s fate in the November election.

Alexander on Tuesday said he didn’t need to say anything more when asked about Manchin’s censure resolution. 

“I actually think what I said is the way most people feel, which is the president did it, it was inappropriate for him to do it, and the people ought to decide what to do about it in the election, which has already started — which was supposed to start yesterday,” he said.

“So I’ve said what I’ve had to say and I don’t need to express myself any further on it,” he added.