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:
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.
U.S. Senator Richard Burr
No response
U.S. Senator Thom Tillis
Thillis
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
Comment on this story at backtalk@indyweek.com. Reporting by Leigh Tauss and Sara Pequeño.
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