On Impeachment Day, Republican Congressman Says Jesus Got Better Treatment Than Trump
On Wednesday, the House of Representatives took up a vote on whether or not to impeach Donald Trump, and Republicans have been groping for historical comparisons to cast their party leader as a victim. Trump himself, in a completely unhinged, six-page letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, wrote: "More due process was afforded to those accused in the Salem Witch Trials." Okay, sure.
Trump has long had a reputation for overblown claims, but Congressional Republicans ably met his level of hyperbole. Speaking before the vote, Pennsylvania congressman Mike Kelly said that "December is such a great month, and there are so many great dates in December when we talk about the wonderful things that have happened in Decembers of the past," like the Boston Tea Party and Christmas. But also, he went on, some bad things happened in December, like Pearl Harbor. "On December 7, 1941, a horrific act happened in the United States, and that’s one that President Roosevelt said, ‘This is a date that will live in infamy,' " he said. "Today, December 18, 2019, is another date that will live in infamy."
Comparing a House vote on a president who admitted to asking a foreign power to interfere with U.S. elections to an act of war was something. But Barry Loudermilk of Georgia took it one step further. He compared the impeachment of Trump to actual crucifixion, with Congressional Democrats playing the role of Pontius Pilate, who oversaw the trial and death sentence of Jesus. Actually, according to Loudermilk, Jesus was treated better leading up to his being nailed on the cross than Trump has through the House impeachment investigation: "When Jesus was falsely accused of treason, Pontius Pilate gave Jesus the opportunity to face his accusers. During that sham trial, Pontius Pilate afforded more rights to Jesus than the Democrats have afforded this president in this process."
Glossing over the fact that as president Trump is, perhaps, the most un-Christlike politician in memory—take Jesus's treatment of the poor, the sick, and foreigners—Loudermilk's comment is still farcical. At first, it sounds borderline blasphemous to compare a political figure to Jesus, especially for a conservative congressman. But praising Trump is practically an Olympic sport among conservatives. Televangelist and White House spiritual adviser Paula White once said, "To say no to President Trump would be saying no to God." Former White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders claimed with a straight face that Trump "reads more than anybody I know." As Atlantic writer Adam Serwer points out, Loudermilk's comparison "is a logical extension of Trump sycophancy, an ongoing competition in which the only rule is to say something more slavishly absurd than the last person to speak."
That makes sense for a man who needs twice-daily press briefings that only show flattering headlines about himself. The question now is whether the Senate can outdo Loudermilk—and how.
And everything else you need to know about the Trump impeachment inquiry.
Originally Appeared on GQ
