PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley said the Republicans’ reaction to President Trump’s State of the Union speech was unlike anything he has ever seen.
Merkley, serving the Senate since 2009, said Trump’s performance was a campaign speech from the beginning that only highlighted how divided the chamber was.
“You had one side of the room cheering the president on in this campaign speech,” said Merkley. “And, the other side, kind of bracing themselves, wishing we were hearing a president, not a candidate.”
Well. That…. was something. Now that #SOTU is over, we’ll be handing the keys back over to Jeff, but thanks for following along with us tonight. Fwiw, we also believe the best of America is yet to come. Onward. — Staff
— Senator Jeff Merkley (@SenJeffMerkley) February 5, 2020
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made waves following Trump’s remarks by ripping up a copy of the transcript of the speech. Merkley said the gesture was symbolic of the frustration the nation feels. He said the Impeachment trial has been disaster.
“The Senate has absolutely failed to hold anything that Americans would view as a fair trial,” he said. “We understand that a trial in America has access to witnesses and access to documents. This wasn’t a trial, this was a cover-up.”
Watch the full interview above.
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