Former Sen. Flake says he fears impeachment would benefit Trump

PHOENIX — Former U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona says while President Donald Trump’s actions warrant impeachment, he has reservations about Congress going through with it.

“I fear that, given the profound division in the country, an impeachment proceeding at such a toxic moment might actually benefit a president who thrives on chaos,” Flake wrote in an opinion piece for The Washington Post.

He said he thinks a better path would be for Republicans to oppose Trump’s reelection.

“My fellow Republicans, it is time to risk your careers in favor of your principles,” he wrote.

Thoughts on impeachment and next year's electionhttps://t.co/DiMvw5v78i

— Jeff Flake (@JeffFlake) September 30, 2019

“Whether you believe the president deserves impeachment, you know he does not deserve reelection.”

Flake said Trump has “abused the power of his office” and is “damaging our democratic institutions.”

“For those who want to put America first, it is critically important at this moment in the life of our country that we all, here and now, do just that,” the former senator wrote.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced a formal inquiry into the president last week due to a whistleblower’s report regarding a phone call Trump had with the president of Ukraine this summer.

A summary of the phone call revealed that Trump asked the foreign leader to investigate claims of misconduct against 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his family.

Earlier this year, when Trump was facing pushback for his dealings with Russian leaders, Flake said during a lecture at Vanderbilt University that he hoped the country wouldn’t go through an impeachment process.

The former senator has long disapproved of Trump and says the president’s popularity was part of the reason he did not seek reelection in 2018.

Democrat Kyrsten Sinema defeated Republican Martha McSally to take his place.

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