In Open Letter to Former Colleagues, Jeff Flake Says They Too Are on Trial

Former Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) issued a warning to his former colleagues in the Senate that the president is not the only one on trial.

In an open letter published by The Washington Post on Friday, Flake, who chose not to run for reelection in the 2018 midterms, notes that the stakes could not be higher.

“I don’t envy you,” he writes. “It might not be fair, but none of the successes, achievements and triumphs you’ve had in public office — whatever bills you’ve passed, hearings you’ve chaired, constituents you have had the privilege of helping — will matter more than your actions in the coming months.”

“President Trump is on trial,” he continues. “But in a very real sense, so are you. And so is the political party to which we belong.”

Jeff Flake writes in Opinions: The president is on trial.

So are my Senate Republican colleagues. https://t.co/Y5oB0Wgeus

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) December 20, 2019

Flake admonished House Republicans for refusing to admit any wrongdoing by Trump. Their willingness to “bend to the president’s will by attempting to shift blame with the promotion of bizarre and debunked conspiracy theories,” he contends, “has been an appalling spectacle.”

“If there ever was a time to put country over party, it is now,” Flake urges. “And by putting country over party, you might just save the Grand Old Party before it’s too late.”