A former Republican Congressman claims House GOP members are ‘absolutely disgusted and exhausted’ by President Donald Trump’s behavior, but are reluctant to speak out for fear of angering the party’s base.
Dent, who served as Pennsylvania’s 15th congressional district from 2005 until 2018, has now registered as a lobbyist and works as a political commentator for CNN, where he made the sensational claims on Friday.
After host Ana Cabrera noted that House Republicans have been in lockstep with the President amid the current impeachment inquiry, Dent claimed that many were privately fuming over what was emerging about the Commander-in-chief’s conduct.
‘Moving from one corrupt act to another, I mean those types of head-exploding moments are just I think infuriating these members and I think they’d like to step out but they just can’t because of their base at the moment,’ Dent theorized.
Trump has a notoriously high approval rating among registered Republicans with a recent AP-NORC poll showing 85% of right-wing voters approved of him.
Former Republican Congressman Charlie Dent (left) told CNN on Friday that House GOP members are ‘absolutely disgusted and exhausted’ by President Donald Trump’s behavior
Earlier this month, when the House voted to formalize the impeachment inquiry in President Trump, none of the 194 Republican members voted in favor of doing so.
On CNN, Dent went on to urge his former GOP House peers to consider their legacies in relation to the impeachment inquiry.
‘I think a lot of members have to take a hard look at this, he stated.
‘They can be more concerned about their election, or their legacies. And I would argue to many of them: your legacy is more important than the next election.’
Dent claims he would likely vote in favor of impeaching the president given what he has heard so far.
On CNN, Dent went on to urge his former GOP House peers to consider their legacies in relation to the impeachment inquiry
However, he cautioned that the House should not move ahead with the impeachment until testimony has been heard from key witnesses, including former national security adviser John Bolton, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney.
Dent, who is a moderate Republican, has previously spoken out against Trump on multiple occasions.
Last month, he blasted Trump for allegedly trying to investigate Hunter Biden’s activities while serving on the board of a natural gas company in the Ukraine.
‘You cannot use your official resources, official resources of the government, to investigate your political opponent,’ he stated.
Dent, who is a moderate Republican, has previously spoken out against Trump on multiple occasions
Back in September, Dent spoke out about being one of the 20 House Republicans who broke with their party and voted against repealing Obamacare back in 2017.
Recalling a conversation with Trump from the time, Dent claimed the President told him: ‘If this bill goes down, Charlie, I’m blaming you… you’re going to destroy the Republican Party.’
Elsewhere, he has told CNN that he feels no responsibility to condone the President’s behaviour.
‘People ask me: Why do I push back against this administration and the president?’ he famously stated.
‘Because my nose is not a heat-seeking missile for the President’s backside, and people have to stand up and say, and talk clearly, to the American people.’
After leaving office in 2018, Dent secured work as a CNN commentator, a lobbyist and a senior policy adviser at a global law firm.
He is also working on a book
Dent has repeatedly spoken out against the President during his frequent appearances on CNN