Georgia Republican Barry Loudermilk speaks as the House of Representatives debates the articles of ... [+]
Topline: In the final day of debate before the House will likely vote to impeach President Trump, comments from Representative Barry Loudermilk, a Republican from Georgia, quickly began to go viral, as he compared Trump’s impeachment inquiry to the crucifixion of Jesus—with Jesus having an easier time of it.
- Loudermilk’s comments described the Biblical story of Jesus’ trial before Pontius Pilate, the fifth governor of Judea, who ultimately ordered Jesus’ crucifixion.
- According to CNN, Loudermilk was criticizing how the whistleblower was never called to testify as part of the impeachment process and that the whistleblower’s identity has been kept secret.
- The White House rejected Democrats’ invitation on December 7 to participate in the impeachment process, with chief counsel Pat Cipollone calling the inquiry “completely baseless” and that House Democrats had violated “due process and fundamental fairness.”
- Trump previously came under heavy fire in August for calling himself the “Chosen One” in a series of inflammatory comments about Jews.
Crucial quote: “Before you take this historic vote today, one week before Christmas, I want you to keep this in mind: When Jesus was falsely accused of treason, Pontius Pilate gave Jesus the opportunity to face his accusers. During that sham trial, Pontius Pilate afforded more rights to Jesus than the Democrats have afforded this President in this process,” said Loudermilk.
Key background: There are two articles of impeachment against Trump. The first, abuse of power, accuses the president of pressuring Ukraine to investigate his political rivals. The second accuses him of obstructing Congress by refusing to cooperate with the impeachment inquiry. If the House votes to impeach Trump as it is expected to, he will join Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton as U.S. presidents who have been impeached.
What to watch for: The next step in the impeachment process after today’s House vote. If the House impeaches Trump, the Senate will hold a trial to decide whether to remove him from office.
