The 66-year-old pointed out that no president in history has been successfully removed by the Senate. To have a “small, elite group” of lawmakers try and remove a president just months before an election is indefensible and un-American, he told the paper.
“To some folks, that’s reminiscent of what was done to kings and queens many years ago,” Van Drew said. “Everything our country doesn’t stand for.”
Van Drew represents New Jersey’s 2nd Congressional District, which voted in favor of Trump over Hillary Clinton in 2016.
“I am a moderate. I am a capitalist,” Van Drew said, adding that he is closer to Pelosi “and Trump than AOC or those folks,” referring to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), a freshman lawmaker who has publicly supported socialist policies.
He added that his constituents have supported a number of the president’s policies so far.
Later in the interview, Van Drew suggested that if Trump is acquitted in the Senate, it would raise his chances of reelection in 2020. He said Trump would be able to claim “exoneration” and use it to gain political points.
“I say to folks sometimes: Watch what you wish for,” the congressman said.
The Republic does need a sane “loyal opposition”.