Trump Thinks Impeachment Is Just Like Lynching. Do North Carolina Republicans Agree?

Donald Trump, an adult man in control of a nuclear arsenal large enough to destroy all of humanity, woke up this morning and tweeted the following: 

So some day, if a Democrat becomes President and the Republicans win the House, even by a tiny margin, they can impeach the President, without due process or fairness or any legal rights. All Republicans must remember what they are witnessing here – a lynching. But we will WIN!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 22, 2019

Just so we’re clear, the president of the United States—arguably the most powerful individual on earth, and, in this case, a white man born into immense wealth and privilege—is alleging that the House of Representatives conducting an impeachment inquiry, following clear evidence (including an admission from Trump’s chief of staff!) that the White House withheld aid from Ukraine while seeking dirt on Trump’s political opponents, is tantamount to a black person being extrajudicially murdered, which happened more than forty-seven hundred times in American history. 

Huh. 

Trump’s polls aren’t great, except among Republicans. So we wondered if North Carolina’s top Republican elected officials had any thoughts about whether Donald Trump was, in fact, being lynched. (U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham defended Trump, but he’s from South Carolina, which doesn’t count.) On Tuesday morning, we reached out to their offices via phone and email seeking comment. We’ll update this post if and when they respond to our queries.

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U.S. Senator Richard Burr

No response

U.S. Senator Thom Tillis

https://publish.twitter.com/?query=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2FThomTillis%2Fstatus%2F1186714840217325569&widget=Tweet

U.S. Representative Dan Bishop

No response

U.S. Representative Ted Budd

No response

U.S. Representative Virginia Foxx

Our initial phone call seeking comment didn’t go through. After this story posted, a spokeswoman called back, scolded a reporter, and then hung up without giving a comment. When we tried to call back on the number from which she called, the call didn’t go through again. 

U.S. Representative George Holding

No response

U.S. Representative Richard Hudson

No response

U.S. Representative Patrick McHenry

No response

U.S. Representative Mark Meadows

Per spokesman Ben Williamson: “This as an unfair process, but he would not go as far as using that language.” (This echoes language from House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who said this morning, “That’s not the language I would use.”)

U.S. Representative Gregory Murphy

No response

U.S. Representative David Rouzier

No response

U.S. Representative Mark Walker

“While it is not a word I would use, ‘witch hunt’ and ‘firing squad’ are not far from the truth. The media and Democrats are bent on impeachment, regardless of facts and judicial process. They are eager to pull the trigger and jockeying for positions on the firing line.”

Lieutenant Governor Dan Forest

No response

N.C. Senate leader Phil Berger

No response

N.C. House Speaker Tim Moore

No response

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Comment on this story at backtalk@indyweek.com. Reporting by Leigh Tauss and Sara Pequeño.

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