Right-wing media melt down over Mitt Romney's vote to convict Trump

Written by Eric Kleefeld

Research contributions from Courtney Hagle & Kayla Gogarty

Published

Updated

romney impeachment fox news

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT), the Republican nominee for president in 2012, announced Wednesday that he is voting in the impeachment trial to convict President Donald Trump of abuse of power.

Rush Limbaugh's guest host for the day suggested selling Romney to Venezuela, Ukraine, Somalia, or Yemen:

Mark Steyn wants to sell Mitt Romney to Venezuela

A black-and-white image of Rush Limbaugh & Tucker Carlson replacement host Mark Steyn

From the January 5, 2020, edition of Premiere Radio Networks' The Rush Limbaugh Show

And other right-wing media are rising up en masse against the man so many of them supported two elections ago.

Shashank Tripathi, who spread fake information during Hurricane Sandy, called for Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel — Romney’s niece — to expel him from the Republican Party.

Donald Trump Jr. also joined in the call for expulsion, as did others:

In a now-deleted tweet, Ryan Saavedra of The Daily Wire proclaimed: “They should expel him before the vote.”

Others even suggested kicking out the entire state of Utah.

Pro-Trump blog The Gateway Pundit cheered on Trump, Jr.

DTJ romney impeachment gateway pundit

Some people regretted having ever voted for him at all.

And the more fetid parts of the right-wing Twittersphere made accusations of treason, or attacks on Romney’s religion or his person:

While Ben Shapiro seemingly spoke up to say in a partial dissent, “Romney is wrong about impeachment. But that's about it. He is not a traitor or a buffoon,” he also took the opportunity to slam his perennial enemy, the alleged liberal media:

Update (5:55 p.m. EST): Sebastian Gorka called Romney a “skirt-wearing little pajama boy millennial snowflake":

From the February 5, 2020 edition of the Salem Radio Network's America First with Sebastian Gorka: 

This piece will be updated as the meltdown continues.

Update (2/6/20, 9:00 a.m. EST): More right-wing personalities lashed out at Romney:

Fox host Lou Dobbs said that “Romney is going to be associated with Judas, Brutus, Benedict Arnold forever”:

From the February 5, 2020 edition of Fox Business News' Lou Dobbs Tonight

Donald Trump Jr. told Fox host Tucker Carlson that Romney “blew his change, bigly”:

From the February 5, 2020 edition of Fox News' Tucker Carlson Tonight: 

Reacting to Romney citing his faith in making his decision, Fox host Brian Kilmeade lashed out: “'My faith makes me do this'? Are you kidding? What about your faith and this case meld together? I mean, that is unbelievable for him to bring religion into this."

From the February 6, 2020, edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends

BRIAN KILMEADE (CO-HOST): Please don't bring religion -- I mean, you're not bringing into it -- but I'm saying, for him to bring religion into this -- has nothing to do with religion.

“My faith makes me do this"? Are you kidding? What about your faith and this case meld together? I mean, that is unbelievable for him to bring religion into this. "His faith."

We already know how he felt. He gave a speech at 12 noon when it was candidate Trump, how unworthy he is for the office. This was his opportunity to show it. To me, it has nothing to do faith.