On Monday, businesswoman and former 2016 GOP presidential candidate Carly Fiorina said it is “vital” that President Donald Trump be impeached, adding that the Republican Party now “sadly” stands for “loyalty to Trump.”
“I think [Trump] is going to be impeached, and I think he won’t be removed from office,” Fiorina told CNN host Poppy Harlow.
“I think it is vital that he be impeached,” she continued, according to RealClear Politics. “Whether removed this close to an election, I don’t know, but I think the conduct is impeachable.”
“And what I regret is that the principles that are being debated in this impeachment trial – separation of powers, abuse of power, obstruction of Congress – those principles are not as immediate or intense as partisanship or people’s belief that the policies that I care about impact me personally,” Fiorina added. “So for example, there is a large pro-life community in this country, and they feel disrespected by the Democrat Party, and my prediction is, they will stand by Trump through everything, because that issue is not only important to them, but it’s personal to them.”
“It is notable that you, a Republican, who has run for office for the Senate as a Republican, for president as a Republican, who may run again as a Republican, is saying it is, quote, vital that he be impeached,” Harlow commented.
Fiorina told Harlow that her “message” to her Republican friends in the House and Senate would be that “hanging onto a job is not the most important thing.”
“In this country, we don’t pledge allegiance to a party or to a president,” she said. “In this country, principles matter, and in particular the principle that we have co-equal branches of government and that no one is above the law, and that it is Congress’ duty to oversee and to investigate.”
When asked about what the Republican Party stands for following the 2016 presidential election, Fiorina hit the same note.
“Loyalty to Trump is what I think it stands for,” she answered. “Sadly, sadly.”
Question: "What does the Republican Party today stand for?"
Carly Fiorina: "I don't know. Loyalty to Trump is what I think it stands for." pic.twitter.com/GO6q0QI1BB
— The Hill (@thehill) December 16, 2019
During the 2016 presidential election, then-candidate Trump took a shot at Fiorina’s appearance. USA Today reported in 2015:
A newly published Rolling Stone article shows GOP front-runner Donald Trump mocking fellow candidate Carly Fiorina’s looks when he sees her on TV.
When the anchor throws to Carly Fiorina for her reaction to Trump’s momentum, Trump’s expression sours in schoolboy disgust as the camera bores in on Fiorina. “Look at that face!” he cries. “Would anyone vote for that? Can you imagine that, the face of our next president?!”
Fiorina responded to the comments during an appearance on Fox News’ “The Kelly File,” hosted by Megyn Kelly.
“Well, I think those comments speak for themselves and all the many, many thousands of voters that are helping me climb in the polls out there,” Fiorina said. “Yes, they’re very serious.”
Trump later defended his comments on “Fox & Friends.”
“Probably I did say something like that about Carly — I’m talking about persona, I’m not talking not about looks,” he contended, adding, “When I get criticized constantly about my hair, nobody does a story about ‘Oh, isn’t that terrible, they criticized Donald Trump’s hair.'”
WATCH the full interview, below: