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AFP/Getty Images Jeff Flake.
Former Sen. Jeff Flake is urging his fellow Republicans not to back President Donald Trump in the 2020 election, saying in a Washington Post op-ed that for them, more than the White House is at stake:
‘Trust me when I say that you can go elsewhere for a job. But you cannot go elsewhere for a soul.’
The longtime Trump critic, who represented Arizona in the Senate from 2013 to 2019, writes that with “what we now know, the president’s actions warrant impeachment.” But Flake cautions that impeaching Trump over accusations that he pressured Ukraine to intervene in the 2020 election could backfire.
“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 writes.
A whistleblower complaint alleges that Trump sought to use the powers of his office to push Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, and that White House officials acted to conceal evidence of Trump’s actions.
Trump denies wrongdoing. On Monday, he suggested that House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, who is leading the impeachment inquiry, be arrested for treason.
Trump has frequently butted heads with Flake, calling him “toxic” and dubbing him “Jeff Flake(y).”
Late last week, Flake said at least 35 Senate Republicans would vote to convict Trump if an impeachment verdict were reached by secret ballot.
Market participants are keeping an eye on developments surrounding the impeachment inquiry. U.S. stocks SPX, +0.58% moved higher Monday after a Treasury official said there were no immediate plans to prevent Chinese companies from listing on domestic exchanges.
