Mitt Romney breaks ranks with his Republican colleagues AGAIN by saying there is ‘no evidence’ Ukraine interfered in 2016 election but says there’s ‘ample evidence Russia did’
- Several Republicans have defended Trump’s demand for an investigation into Ukraine by claiming the country interfered in the 2016 US election
- On Sunday, GOP Senator John Kennedy told Meet The Press that he believes both the Ukraine and Russia meddled in the electoral process
- However, rogue Republican Mitt Romney is now contradicting his GOP colleagues by saying he does not believe Ukraine was involved
- His comments indicate that he may still break from fellow Republicans in regards to the impeachment inquiry into the President
Mitt Romney has broken ranks with his Republican colleagues again, this time by saying he doesn’t believe Ukraine interfered in the 2016 US election
The Utah senator, 72, made the claims on Tuesday following a Senate Foreign Relations hearing on US policy toward Russia.
‘I saw no evidence from our intelligence community nor from our representatives today from the Department of State that there is any evidence of any kind that suggests Ukraine interfered in our elections,’ Romney stated, according to ABC.
He added: ‘We have ample evidence that Russia interfered in our elections’.
Romney’s comments are a direct contrast to ones made by fellow GOP Senator John Kennedy who has repeatedly claimed that he believes both of the Eastern European countries had influence in the 2016 Election.
Mitt Romney (right) says he sees no evidence of any kind that suggests Ukraine interfered in the 2016 Election – putting him at odds with many of his Republican colleagues, including Senator John Kennedy (left)
On Sunday, Kennedy told Meet The Press: ‘I think both Russia and Ukraine meddled in the 2016 election’.
Romney’s comments also hint that he will not fall into line behind his Party members – many of whom have defended Trump’s demand for political investigations from Ukraine by claiming that they were involved in manipulating the electoral process.
The rogue Republican has previously described Trump’s actions in pressing Ukraine to investigate corrupt dealings as ‘troubling’.
And, if the impeachment process makes its way to a vote in the Senate, it remains unclear as to whether Romney would be in favor of removing the Commander-in-chief from office.
Trump has repeatedly clashed with Romney since he was elected to the White House back in November 2016.
Romney is pictured with Trump during a listening session on youth vaping and the electronic cigarette epidemic at the White House last month
However, last week Trump invited Romney and fellow Republican Senator Susan Collins for lunch at the White House, in what was widely seen as a move to sure up their support.
Romney and Collins are two of only three Republican senators (along with Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski) who recently declined to sign a Republican motion condemning the Democratic impeachment probe.
Romney later cooed over his date with the Commander-in-chief stating: ‘It was a very delightful meeting with the president and vice president and senior members of his staff and several Republican senators’.
Romney said he had shaken hands with Trump despite their past differences and had a ‘cordial’ meeting.
Asked about a Trump tweet in October which called Romney a ‘pompous a**’, the Utah senator laughed and said ‘that’s as accurate as it is irrelevant’.
Last week Trump invited Romney and fellow Republican Senator Susan Collins for lunch at the White House