‘Real-Life Profile in Courage’
Senator Doug Jones of Alabama, possibly the most vulnerable Democrat in the U.S. Senate, is being hailed as a hero after announcing he will vote to convict President Donald Trump for high crimes and misdemeanors on Wednesday afternoon as the impeachment trial comes to a close.
Given the current political climate, and that it’s Alabama, Jones’ decision to vote against Trump very well may cost him his seat.
“After many sleepless nights, I have reluctantly concluded that the evidence is sufficient to convict the President for both abuse of power and obstruction of Congress,” Sen. Jones said.
Jones, a former U.S. Attorney, is up for re-election this year. He has been targeted by President Trump, and the GOP thinks it’s a seat they can take back. Running against Roy Moore in a 2017 special election Jones won the seat vacated when then-Senator Jeff Sessions resigned to become Trump’s attorney general. Sessions and Moore are both running for the Republican nomination this year, along with about five other candidates.
(UPDATE: 11:35 AM ET – On the Senate floor Jones says voting to convict Trump is not a profile in courage, it is simply a matter of right and wrong, and he is doing his job, suggesting other Senators should do the same.)
Here’s what many are saying: