West Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchin told Fox News on Friday that President Donald Trump needs to get rid of attorney Rudy Giuliani after he was impeached over his actions with Ukraine.
Manchin, who offered a less than stellar defense of why he voted to convict the president last week, said that he also does not support House Democrats pursuing impeachment again unless Trump actually does something seriously wrong.
Manchin specifically said that Trump “using rogue proxies such as Rudy Giuliani” to run “around playing with foreign policy,” specifically with regards to election issues, was a major problem.
“I would think that the president would not do that, and I don’t think – if he didn’t realize he had done it, it did happen, and it’s got to stop,” Manchin said. “I would hope that he would take just a pause and say, hey weren’t not doing this anymore, Rudy, you’re out of the game now. We’re not playing this anymore.”
Following Manchin’s interview, Trump tweeted: “I was very surprised & disappointed that Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia voted against me on the Democrat’s totally partisan Impeachment Hoax. No President has done more for the great people of West Virginia than me (Pensions), and that will always continue. Every Republican Senator except Romney, many highly religious people, all very smart, voted against the Impeachment Hoax. @SenCapito was all in (a great person). I was told by many that Manchin was just a puppet for Schumer & Pelosi. That’s all he is!”
WATCH:
TRANSCRIPT:
BILL HEMMER, FOX HOST: Today Senator Manchin wanted a chance to respond to that, as he’s watching it back in his home state. He’s here to respond now.
And Senator, thank you for your time. Your first T.V. interview from the vote on Article I and Article II that came down not guilty, ultimately acquitted as you well know.
What do you think of what Senator Capito had to say about that?
SEN. JOE MANCHIN (D-WV): Well, Shelley’s my friend, and we just see this different. And we’ve talked about it, but we see it different. And I think Shelley knows — I don’t know why the statement was made, who knows?
But the bottom line is Shelley knows me well enough that no one can pull my chain or tie a noose around me or do any of that — I’m the most conservative Democrat in all of Congress. I vote more on a bipartisan line than anybody else.
So my goodness, I’ve taken some tough votes that was very unpopular with the caucus, and I’m sure that Schumer and everybody else might not have been happy with it, but it was a vote that I could live with.
And I said, if I can come home and explain it, Bill, I can vote for it. I can explain this vote. It might not be popular in my state right now. And we’ll just see. History will tell.
But the bottom line is the evidence was very clear. And I was hoping — I truly was hoping that we would see evidence and we would see new witness that maybe could give some doubt or clarity to it, but what we saw was overwhelming.
HEMMER: You floated the idea of a censure –
MANCHIN: Sure.
HEMMER: — that went nowhere. How do you go from censure to guilty on both counts?
MANCHIN: Well, I was looking to see if there was anyone that was willing to slow this down, and let’s see if we can get more input. And I thought censure might have been a way that we could have gotten a bipartisan. And I wanted it to be bipartisan — I did everything I could.
But my goodness, everyone was already in the trenches. They weren’t moving at all. And I — I mean, I labored over this. And it was the most difficult decision I have ever made since I’ve been in Congress or in public life. And I’ve never been on jury duty before — to sit and listen to all of the testimony back and forth, and back and forth.
And I took the president at his word when he said I cannot get a fair trial in the House, but I definitely could get one in the Senate, I wanted to make sure he did. So, I wanted to make sure that he got witnesses — what he said he wanted. And I thought that would be clarity to it.
That never came. The game plan was basically, I guess, only two ways you can look at this — if you’re not going to give us any new witnesses and you’re going (ph) — defense is not going to fight, then they’re going to say its non-defendable, the charges that were made. Or you already had the count on the jury, and the jury was yours.
But that’s not — that’s not the oath I took, Bill.
HEMMER: You know how popular the president is in your home state.
MANCHIN: Sure, I do.
HEMMER: You know, I think you’ve got three more years in your term, 2022. You tweeted out —
MANCHIN: — ’24 Bill — 2024, Bill.
HEMMER: — I apologize, I won’t get the math wrong on that one. You tweeted out that politics had no factor in your decision, now what do you say to the people back home about that?
MANCHIN: I just said, you know, the people have known me for — I’m 37 plus years in public service, in many different positions — and in governor.
And the bottom line is they don’t always agree with some of the decisions I’ve had to make, but I think they all know that I’ll take a very serious position, and look at it, and do my due diligence, and I did. I didn’t study anything more thorough than this.
And the thing that kept getting into it was basically the Federalist 65, when Hamilton labored over this more than anything else — impeachment, involvement with foreign government.
There was no doubt that with the president — the phone call, was in reference to basically Zelensky doing a favor. And here we are trying to protect and promote democracy around the world.
The most powerful person in the world calls the most inexperienced new leader of a country that’s fighting Russia in their own backyard. And that’s just an affront I couldn’t get over.
And when the only defense that was made, Bill, was Dershowitz — Professor Dershowitz saying, if the president does it, and if it’s in best interest of the country — and that means him doing whatever, even for his election, then it’s OK. And I can’t get there, Bill. That’s not what the Constitution says.
HEMMER: OK, so Jerry Nadler was asked whether or not they’re going to investigate again. And he gave an indication that they’re willing to pursue other avenues of investigation.
Do you think this comes back —
MANCHIN: They’re crazy if it comes back, Bill.
HEMMER: — perhaps in the next year?
MANCHIN: They’re crazy.
HEMMER: Do you think it’s — you think they’re crazy?
MANCHIN: Well, I’m hoping that the president has learned that — Mr. President we are equal powers. We were designed differently than any other, any other government, any other nation.
HEMMER: No, I understand where you’re going with that answer, but I’m asking you –
MANCHIN: Yes.
HEMMER: — would you support your Democratic colleagues pursuing this again?
MANCHIN: No, absolutely not, unless the president continues. And using rogue proxies such as Rudy Giuliani running around playing with foreign policy, to the — for the (ph) election process.
I would think that the president would not do that, and I don’t think — if he didn’t realize he had done it, it did happen, and it’s got to stop.
And if one person who’s voted with him — one person’s who’s had a good relationship with the president — if it moved me that much, because I usually give him the benefit of the doubt — if this moved me that much, then I would hope that he would take a — just a pause and say, hey weren’t not doing this anymore, Rudy, you’re out of the game now. We’re not playing this anymore.
HEMMER: OK, Senator, thank you for your time today, we’ll speak again very soon. Joe Manchin, back home in West Virginia.
MANCHIN: Thank you.
HEMMER: Thank you for your time.