Donald Trump has long been called a “con man,” “racist,” and “unpatriotic.” In fact, Michael Cohen said all of that in just one statement. But when Ohio Congresswoman Marcia Fudge took to the House floor on Tuesday morning, reading a letter from a constituent that labeled him and his supporters of being exactly that, the GOP wasn’t too happy.
Fudge, who has served more than ten years as a U.S. representative, made the comments at what the House calls “morning hour.” It’s a time at the top of the week when members are able to give succinct speeches on any number of topics. On Tuesday, Fudge used her five minutes to address an issue she has felt strongly about since the day Trump entered the White House — that the man occupying the Oval Office, and his supporters, pose a “clear and present danger to our democracy.”
The congresswoman didn’t rely on her own opinions for Tuesday’s remarks, though. She instead let a letter from the Rev. Ronald S. Williams, senior pastor at Mount Zion Fellowship in Highland Hills, Ohio do the talking. In it, Williams addresses the findings from the Mueller report and questions why neither party has moved to impeach the man whom he describes as a “liar.”
The letter also recounts a conversation that the reverend had with a “bigot” and Trump supporter who said that former President Barack Obama divided the nation and that the U.S. is currently under one of the smartest presidencies.
“ ‘It is glaringly apparent that many who support the president’s administration are either racists, steeped in religious beliefs, ignorant, or as my mother used to say, just plain dumb,’ ” Fudge read from his words. “ ‘I believe the crooked ascension of Trump to the Oval Office is a gauge that measures the declining patriotic and moral values of the many citizens of America.’ ”
Fudge went on to read more from the letter that accused Trump of surrounding himself with “ ‘yes’ men and women,” called the GOP members of a “Trump cult,” and described the country as being “no longer a democracy” and “spiraling downhill quickly.”
Though many would hear that and say “where is the lie?”, Republicans weren’t feeling Fudge’s oratorical presentation. Jane Timken, who serves as the chairwoman of the Republican Party in the state of Ohio put out a statement obtained by Cleveland.com, saying she hopes Fudge was simply having a “lapse in judgment.”
“This kind of language serves only to divide not unite — her constituents deserve more,” Timken stated. “But this goes to show that Democrats care more about playing identity politics than they do about winning back blue-dog Democrats who overwhelmingly supported the president.”
Fudge is unbothered by the backlash. She’s still calling on Trump to be impeached.