Sen. Kevin Cramer made it clear Tuesday what he thought about the historic second impeachment trial of Donald Trump: “Welcome to the stupidest week in the Senate.”
Shortly before the trial was set to begin, the North Dakota Republican released a video statement criticizing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for using impeachment “flippantly” as a political tool.
“As a response to her view that Donald Trump demeaned the Office of the President, the House Speaker is now making a mockery of Congress and one of the most serious institutions in our country,” Cramer said. “It’s disgusting.”
“While Speaker Pelosi sent these backbenchers to tie up the Senate,” Cramer said, referring to the House impeachment managers, “she sent the rest of the House home instead of leaving them here to carry out the actual work of the American people.”
Although the House is not expected to hold any votes this week or the next, the legislative calendar indicated the time period is designated for committee work, which will likely be focused on shaping the legislation for President Joe Biden’s Covid relief package.
Over the last few weeks, many GOP senators have made it clear that they do not believe the trial is constitutional, an argument that Trump’s impeachment lawyers are expected to focus on this week. Cramer was among several GOP senators who urged the Trump team to focus on process arguments, rather than relitigating discredited election fraud claims.
“The point here is to avoid conviction. It’s not a great moment for trying to score political points,” Cramer said at the time. “And I don’t think litigating the election is a winning strategy. I think it’s got lower percentage of success than a Hail Mary in the Super Bowl.”