Mitt Romney Says He ‘Agonized’ over Impeachment: ‘I Hoped Beyond Hope’ I Wouldn’t Find Him Guilty

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT), who voted to convict President Trump for abuse of power last week, claimed on Sunday that he “agonized” over the responsibility that came with his decision and said he had “hoped beyond hope” he would not find President Trump guilty.

Speaking to KSL’s Sunday Edition during the weekend, Romney, who asserted last week that the president “committed an act so extreme and egregious that it rises to the level of a high crime and misdemeanor,” said he “agonized over the responsibility that ultimately would come [his] way” and proclaimed that he “hoped beyond hope” he would not find Trump guilty.

“Well, I took my responsibility exactly as the Constitution defines it and as the oath I took requires it,” Romney told KSL’s Doug Wright, again citing his oath before God, “which is what I was sworn before God to apply impartial justice as a Senate juror.”

The Utah senator continued to defend his decision, proclaiming that he “thoroughly studied” the evidence, which moved him to vote to convict the president.

Gas prices surge, pinching Americans and handing the GOP a new midterm headache

Trump Promises to Hit Iran ’20 Times Harder’ if it Doesn’t Comply with Demands

U.S. Military Took Out Iranian Who Was Planning to Kill Trump

Longtime House Dem swats down attack ad from millennial challenger: ‘I trust the voters’

‘Serious concerns’: GOP sounds alarm on taxpayer funds going to ‘high risk’ universities vulnerable to CCP

Trump warns Iran faces strikes ‘twenty times harder’ if nation refuses to heed warning and more top headlines

Trump Keeps Gifting Officials and Friends a Particular Brand of Shoes

Schools boost antisemitism grades in ADL report but students say hostility persists

Watch: The 4 Most Intense Lines Hegseth Had About Iran During ’60 Minutes’ Interview

All eyes on Georgia as Trump-backed candidate battles in high-stakes congressional showdown

Convicted coconspirators spill insider intel on antifa at Texas terrorism trial

Oregon judge limits federal agents’ tear gas use at Portland ICE protests

Cornyn denies MAGA pressure forced support for talking filibuster on SAVE Act

Trump reveals top issues GOP should focus on to secure midterms victory: ‘I’ve never been more confident’

Trump calls SAVE America Act his ‘No. 1’ priority for House GOP

“I agonized over the responsibility that ultimately would come my way,” Romney said. “I hoped beyond hope that I would not have to find him guilty of what had been alleged.”

“They didn’t want to provide any information for those of us who were having a responsibility to provide impartial justice,” Romney said of the refusal to allow additional witnesses to testify.

He also attributed his decision to “family tradition,” citing his dad, whom he described as “a person who stood by his word and did exactly what he thought was right regardless of the consequence.”

“And that is a family tradition which I hold dear,” he said.

“I did believe that I was doing exactly what I swore I would do,” he added.

Romney’s decision to convict the president earned him high praise from high-profile Democrats, including Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), who praised her colleague’s “courage” during Friday’s Democrat debate in New Hampshire.

“There was a lot of courage you saw from very few people,” Klobuchar said. “There was courage from Doug Jones, our friends from Alabama that took that tough vote. There was courage from Mitt Romney, who took a very, very difficult vote”:

Amy Klobuchar knocks idea of being a "cool newcomer": "We have a newcomer in the White House, and look where it got us. I think having some experience is a good thing." https://t.co/Rhy9aOaDTU #DemDebate pic.twitter.com/cqusxWYJfl

— ABC News (@ABC) February 8, 2020