The annual Wasatch County Republican Party Lincoln breakfast fundraiser took place on February 22nd. Among those addressing local party members was Utah’s Senior Senator Mike Lee.
Often quoted and referenced at the Wasatch Republican Lincoln Day breakfast was author and social scientist Arthur Brooks. Utah Senator Mike Lee followed that trend in his remarks. Lee spoke about a message Brooks gave at the National Prayer Breakfast.
“He went on to explain that love really is the antidote to hostility, and not mere civility,” Lee continued. “It was fascinating that a few minutes later as the President of the United States gave his speech—and keep in mind this was just the day after the impeachment trial had ended. The president came out and held up a couple of newspapers saying ‘Trump Acquitted’ and then he set down the newspapers and he looked at Arthur and he said, ‘Arthur I'm not sure you're going to like what I have to say today’. But Sharon (Senator Lee’s wife) pointed out, in some ways the most profound thing that was said that day was later in that speech when President Trump looked over somewhat apologetically to Arthur, and the President the United States said, ‘look, I'm still learning’. That was a moment where he expressed that he, like everyone else, makes mistakes from time to time. He like everyone else is still learning how to love his fellow beings including his enemies.”
Senator Lee then spoke about the impeachment trial proceedings.
“As a guy who reads constitutional law books and Supreme Court opinions for fun, the impeachment trial to me—as unfortunate and as unfounded as it was—was like Disneyland and Christmas morning combined,” Lee explained. “It was really really interesting. I took 190 pages of notes, and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time.”
After sharing his highlights of the procedural aspects of the hearing, Senator Lee then spoke to the content of the trial itself. He said he saw no legal or moral issue with President Trumps request to President Volodymyr Zelensky that Ukraine investigate corruption at Burisma. Lee called the impeachment of Trump wrong.
“I read through thousands of pages of documents,” Lee said. “I listened to hundreds of hours of testimony. There was no evidentiary basis, even for the legally flawed theory that they presented. There simply was no there there and in order to cover up for that, the house prosecutors halfway through started arguing a completely different legal theory. Alleging things like bribery and extortion which we had to remind them they had not charged. Look if you were a lawyer in a courtroom in a criminal trial and you tried that not only would you have your case likely thrown out, but you’d be sanctioned, and you might be jailed that day by that judge. What they did to President Trump was nothing short of wrong. I'm proud to have voted to acquit him, which he deserved.”
Lee then said the next item on the Senate Agenda is reigning back the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
“Don't ever trust the entity that taxes you with the power to spy on you to decide when, where, who, what, whether to worship,” Lee continued. “To decide when, where, how, with whom, under what circumstances to get involved politically. Don't ever let your government do those things. Government’s here to keep us from hurting each other and taking each other’s stuff. That's it. Don't ever let it become your spy, your nanny, your car manufacturer, your rich uncle, or your health care provider.”
Fellow Senator Mitt Romney, who voted to convict President Trump, was not in attendance at the breakfast.
