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February 06, 2020 02:21 PM UTC

A Coward and a Liar: Poor Reviews for Gardner on Impeachment

  • 15 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

[mantra-pullquote align=”right” textalign=”left” width=”60%”]“Coloradans deserve better than Cory Gardner.”

— The Denver Post (2/6/20)[/mantra-pullquote]

Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Yuma) did what everyone expected him to do yesterday when the Senate voted on two articles of impeachment against President Trump: He covered up for Trump and voted to acquit the President.

What Gardner did not do, however, was find a way to explain his rationale for acquittal in any sort of manner that would make it appear as though he was not just participating in a cover-up. Gardner’s asinine speech on the floor of the Senate was notable mostly for his misinterpretation of Alexander Hamilton. Gardner’s media interviews on impeachment were, frankly, insulting to Coloradans.

In response to a question from Joe St. George of Fox 31 News about whether the Senate vote set a new precedent for election interference, Gardner had the temerity to exclaim that “foreign interference in our elections is absolutely wrong.”

In an interview with Colorado Public Radio, Gardner argued that the impeachment of Trump was really just a policy kerfuffle. “This is a policy question,” he said. “Does the United States have the ability to investigate how its taxpayer dollars are being spent?”

Gardner’s bullshit was swiftly condemned by lawmakers and media outlets alike. Here’s Rep. Jason Crow (D-Aurora), who served as one of the House impeachment managers in the Senate trial, speaking to Colorado Public Radio in response to Gardner’s “policy disagreement” explanation:

“The trial showed unequivocally that that’s just not true. Cory Gardner is not telling the truth there.’’

Crow said further that he believed Gardner was “doing what he feels is politically in his own best interest instead of doing what is right and upholding his oath,” and it’s impossible to argue otherwise. Kyle Clark of 9News had this to say on Wednesday evening:

Hundreds of Democrats and Republicans in Congress faced that central question of whether President Trump did something wrong, and they showed the basic courage to directly answer that question for voters…

…But the whole impeachment trial has now come and gone without Senator Cory Gardner ever coming up with the basic courage to directly answer that question. [Pols emphasis]

But the unkindest cut was reserved for the editorial board of The Denver Post, which absolutely lit into Colorado’s Junior Senator on Thursday:

Sen. Cory Gardner either thinks it’s OK for a president to pressure a foreign government to investigate a U.S. citizen for personal and political gain or he’s too afraid to criticize this president for doing just that.

We’re not sure which is worse.

Gardner failed to address the issue on the floor of Congress while he was explaining to the public his decision to acquit the president on that very question. In subsequent media interviews where he was asked the question directly, he did the trademark Gardner dodge and weave.

That was just the beginning. Here’s the knockout blow:

Gardner once said he would stand up to his own party. Turns out he won’t even be critical of the actions of a member of his own party. He must believe what Trump did was fine. Why won’t he just say that?

Coloradans deserve a senator who will be straightforward and honest with them. Coloradans deserve a senator with a track record of bipartisanship. Coloradans deserve a senator who will call out things that are wrong and work to correct them. Coloradans deserve better than Cory Gardner. [Pols emphasis]

Ooof. Make sure to take a moment to read the entire Post editorial.

There’s a good reason that even staunch Republicans are sick of Gardner’s crap. He might have helped save Trump’s skin on Wednesday…but nobody will be bailing Gardner out in November.

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15 thoughts on “A Coward and a Liar: Poor Reviews for Gardner on Impeachment”

  1. By doing some sleuthing I was able to discover the very favoritest episode of Game of Thrones that the Honorable Cory Gardner has EVER seen.  Would anybody be up for setting a watch party?  And send him a public invite? It will help Make America Great Again!

    https://g.co/kgs/5CqZYF

    Hint: it is the Oath Breaker episode, Season 6, Episode 3.

    1. I dunno, Elliot – Cory Gardner is no Jon Snow. Jon was cuter, braver, and, in his own way, more honorable than Cory will ever be. 
       

      Although they are both relatively short, and both got stabbed by their own people.

      Enjoying the op to go all fan girl on this ❄️ ❄️ Snow Day !!

    1. What I love about that editorial is that it makes the material that the Post has said about him from their unendorsement onward, particularly quotes like at the top of this post land a lot harder.

       

      1. Chuck may have done the typing but the decision would have been Singleton ‘s.

        as the late Editorial Page editor Sue O’Brien said, on big endorsements: “The editor of the editorial page has one vote.  The editor of the  whole paper has two votes.  The publisher has three votes.

        And the publisher breaks ties!

        1. V, no doubt on the power wielded by the publisher, and you might be understating. But I think I see Chuck's writing style in the text, and some of the frames and claims in this editorial (he'll shake up the Senate, a R leader on renewables, no danger to reproductive rights, a new Senate won't just butt heads with Obama) painted a misleading picture for low-infos that the Post finally had to walk back a few years later. So, Chuck gets no pass from me even though he was probably #2 in this pecking order by a country mile.

  3. The only part I don't get is about Colorado needing a "bipartisan" Senator.

    We need a Senator from the Democratic Party. And, I'd argue they should be partisan, and work AGAINST Republican interests. 

  4. A coward, and a liar, and a weasel, walks into a bar . . .

    . . . the bartender says, “Good evening, Senator Gardner. Will you be drinking alone, tonight?”

  6. So … media reactions to Cory

    TV –  Fox31 and 9News are covered here.

    Radio – CPR

    Newspapers — Post

    Anyone have others to add?

     * Colorado Sun article says "

    Gardner did not say during his floor speech whether the underlying impeachment accusation — Trump’s solicitation of Ukraine’s president to investigate Trump’s 2020 political rivals, allegedly in exchange for military aid — was wrong, a question he has for months refused to answer."

    * more from the Sun — a column by Craig Silverman

    "Cory Gardner can expect a regular diet of Crow as he gets questioned back home in Colorado (if he takes questions).  Saying POTUS did nothing wrong just won’t work here, yet anything else may cause Trump to tweet smear.  Some day, this Trump and Gardner bromance will end badly. "

    * Aurora Sentinel, talking about the vote for witnesses:

    This is Gardner’s final opportunity to show his constituents in Colorado that he is willing and able to put the interests of the nation above those of Trump, the Republican Party and possibly, his own political future.

    He has greatly disappointed all of Colorado when pressed to this test in the past. But the stakes have never been this high.

    Either Gardner will help Democrats and others bring critical witnesses before the Senate or he will certainly forfeit his future in Congress. Doing the right thing and pressing for vital witness testimony won’t guarantee Gardner’s re-election to his Senate seat this fall, but falling in line with the partisan ploy to protect Trump and cover up his crimes will undoubtedly ensure Gardner’s defeat.

     

  7. I explained impeachment and the Senate acquittal to 6th graders this way: “The House of Representatives said that the President did bad things, but the Senate said it was OK and didn’t matter.” 
     

    The kids, veterans of family power struggles over discipline where Mom, Dad, Grandma, or the best manipulator wins, nodded. They got it. 
     

    Explaining Gardner’s double-talk was too complex and out of the scope of 6th grade need to know, but any high school debate team watching his verbal acrobatics understood that he was not arguing honestly. Many of those 17 and 18 year olds will be 2020 voters.

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