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| Photo by: Gage Skidmore via Flickr |
Senator Jeff Flake reproached his Republican colleagues for not calling out Trump’s behavior, saying that they are being “complicit” on the matter.
Flake said that it is high time for his fellow Republicans to take a stand and call out the president for his actuation and decisions, lest they risk being called hypocrites. He further referred to his colleagues as being “complicit” when they tolerate the president’s conduct by failing to call the latter out.
The Arizona senator made these statements during his interview on the CBS show to promote his new book entitled, Conscience of a Conservative: A Rejection of Destructive Politics and a Return to Principle.
One excerpt that he wrote in his book reads: “When we excuse on our side what we attack on the other, then we are hypocrites. If we do that as a practice, then we are corrupt. If we continually accept this conduct as elected officials, then perhaps we shouldn't be elected officials.”
After reading out the above portion, CBS interviewer John Dickerson asked the senator if he sees the Republican lawmakers as complicit in the controversy if they are not admonishing the president for his behavior and actions.
“I do think so. There are truths that are self-evident. And you've got to stand up and call, whether it's the White House or other elected officials, to task when they're not doing what they should,” Flake said in response. After these emphatic statements, the Republican senator encouraged his colleagues to return to “traditional conservatism.”
Flake has been actively campaigning against Trump during the 2016 US electoral season. Taking cognizance of the senator’s disapproval of his actions, Trump has been reported to have conducted a meeting with three potential contenders who could replace Flake in public office.
Immediately after the meeting in the White House, Trump tweeted: “It's very sad that Republicans, even some that were carried over the line on my back, do very little to protect their President.”
