Jones on Trump: ‘Appears to be evidence of abuse of power’ — Enough to impeach

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October 9, 2019

Senator Doug Jones (D-AL) on Tuesday lashed out at the Alabama Republican Party after ALGOP Chairman Terry Lathan called on him to represent the majority of his constituents in the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump.

In a statement responding to Lathan’s remarks, Jones stressed his “obligation to weigh all the facts fairly before making a decision.”

“[W]e don’t have all the facts yet,” he added.

However, immediately after cautioning against a rush to judgement, Jones may have tipped his hand on which way he is leaning on impeaching Trump.

“What I have seen so far raises legitimate concern for our national security and there appears to be evidence of abuse of power [by the president],” Jones stated.

Jones’ full statement, per CBS 42, as follows:

This is not a time for partisan rhetoric or political stunts. If this matter was not so serious, the characterization made by the Alabama Republican Party leadership would be a laughable attempt to pack as many hyper-partisan cliches as possible into a sound bite. They clearly do not want a Senator who will follow his or her oath to defend the Constitution. As a U.S. Senator, it is my obligation to weigh all the facts fairly before making a decision, and we don’t have all the facts yet. What I have seen so far raises legitimate concern for our national security and there appears to be evidence of abuse of power. I hope for the sake of our country that we can find the truth together.

This comes days after Jones told The Daily Mountain Eagle that “abuse of power” could be grounds enough for impeachment.

“I don’t think you necessarily have to break a law,” Alabama’s junior senator said of the threshold for impeaching the president. “We have such a different set of laws, whether it is federal jurisdiction, whether it is a state law or a state crime. I think it is the broader interpretation of abuse of power, whether the president has put the national security interests in jeopardy, whether he is doing something for personal gain.”

“Could that be a potential legal violation? Sure,” he continued. “But I don’t think it absolutely has to be in this case. Now, that is my interpretation. We’ll see how this goes… But ultimately, I think it will come down to an abuse of power, placing the national security at risk. Those kinds of things are very serious allegations.”

Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn