Retiring Republican Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona deflected three times when asked Wednesday if he wanted 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton to be in the Oval Office instead of President Trump.
When asked if Clinton would be better than Trump, Flake responded with a story about the 1950s McCarthy hearings in which then-Army Chief Counsel Joseph Welch famously asked, “Have you no decency, sir?”
After being asked a third time, Flake said he did not vote for either, but offered a personal response.
“I can tell you no president, Democrat or Republican, in recent memory, has exhibited the kind of behavior that this president has,” Flake said. “I would love to have a Republican president, but not at any cost.”
“I hope that more of us will speak out. The longer we wait, the more this kind of behavior and these kind of politics becomes normalized,” Flake added. “I can tell you, I’m not happy with the direction we’re going.”
WATCH: Would it have been better if Hillary Clinton had won the election? @MLauer asks @JeffFlake pic.twitter.com/LzZTuOH94R
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) October 25, 2017
Flake told CBS “This Morning” on Wednesday that impeachment and other ways of removing Trump from office were not the right path forward.
“I don’t think any of those remedies are justified. I really don’t. High crimes and misdemeanors — people talk about impeachment on the left — I think that something’s been introduced. I don’t think that’s the direction to go, nor do I think the 25th Amendment, having the Cabinet act, is either,” Flake said.
