Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) on Thursday was asked to compare President Donald Trump fighting the 2020 presidential election results and the U.S. Capitol riot on January 6 to President Richard Nixon’s actions during the Watergate scandal.
Durbin argued on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” that Trump contesting the election findings is “much, much more” dangerous to American democracy because Republicans “have stood by in silence or affirmation” out of “fear of what Trump might do politically.”
“When you go to the heart of the issue of the peaceful transfer of power in the United States, you’re really questioning whether or not this nation as we know it, this constitutional creation can survive. It’s that basic,” Durbin stated.
“What happened under Nixon is well documented, but it was a question of trying to suppress an investigation that he found embarrassing. This is much, much more,” he added. “And if it were just the ravings of this former president that we were dealing with, we could push them off to the side. But so many members of the Republican Party have stood by in silence or in affirmation of his cause that it’s worrisome. You just wonder, what’s going on in their minds? They’ve got to know better. And yet for fear of what Trump might do to them politically, they’re silent or join a chorus of support.”
Follow Trent Baker on Twitter @MagnifiTrent
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.