Congressional Democrats praised Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) on Wednesday for breaking from his party and becoming the first Republican to announce he would be voting to convict President Trump.
The senator was hailed by Senate colleagues and House Democrats for joining them in voting to impeach and remove Trump over abuse of power.
“I sat silently across the chamber, listening to my friend give one of the most important speeches I have ever had the good fortune to hear in person,” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Ct.) tweeted shortly after Romney announced on the Senate floor that he would be voting to convict Trump.
“At a time when many wonder what honor is left in public life, there stands Mitt Romney,” Murphy added.
Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) offered similar praise for his Republican colleague, whom he said “restored” his “faith in the idea that putting country over party is still possible.”
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a leading presidential candidate, said the vote to convict Trump is “an act of patriotism,” and thanked Romney for his patriotism.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) also thanked Romney for voting his conscience and doing what he knew in his “heart to be right.”
House Democrats, who nearly all voted to impeach Trump at the end of last year, also championed Romney for his decision to break party ranks on the vote.
“Thank you, Senator Romney, for your impeachment courage. You put our country’s national security above your own personal, political interests. That’s the opposite of what Donald Trump did. History will favorably know your name for this,” Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) tweeted.
Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) called Romney’s “remarkable speech” a “historic moment.”
“Senator Romney is right. And he will make the vote to convict Trump of abuse of power bipartisan,” Beyer tweeted.
Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.) said Romney did “what many of his GOP colleagues have been afraid to do when it comes to this President’s considerable contempt for the constitution—he told the truth.”
–This report was updated at 3:34 p.m.