Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford told Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace that he and his fellow Republicans in Congress are "being consistent" with the manner in which they're holding Trump accountable for his behavior in office compared to how they'd behave if we had a Democratic president.
Who really believes they would not have scheduled impeachment hearings if not already impeached a Democrat who was behaving the same way Trump has since taking office? He's violating the Emoluments Clause and using the United States government like a piggy bank to enrich himself and his grifter family, but Sen. Lankford wants us to believe they're actually holding his feet to the fire just because a few of them have said something about all the golf Trump is playing and the fact that he hasn't released his tax returns.
Lankford also had the gall to equate Trump refusing to release his tax returns with the wingnut birthers demanding President Obama's birth certificate back in the day. Yeah, those two things are exactly alike, Senator.
WALLACE: Let's talk about what seems to be a greater willingness among some Republicans in Congress, yourself included, to criticize this president. There are a dozen of you who have said the president should keep his promise and release his tax returns. There are some Republican senators and congressmen in border states who are really questioning whether or not you need a full border wall.
And I want to play for you Senator Joni Ernst in a town hall meeting this week in Iowa. Here she is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JONI ERNST, R-IOWA: With the trip to Florida, I do wish that would spend more time in Washington, D.C. That's what we have the White House for.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALLACE: Senator, what's going on with this increased willingness of Republican members of Congress, including yourself, to criticize this president?
LANKFORD: I think, quite frankly, it’s what Republicans said we will do a few years ago when people challenge us and said, if you had someone in the White House of your own party, would you hold them into account the same way that you're holding President Obama to account? You're finding out that's actually true, that Republicans are consistent to go both ways in this.
Now, listen, in the town hall meetings that I’ve had in the last two weeks and I’ve had 16 of them, in the town hall meetings that I’ve had in the last weeks, I’ve heard some of the same arguments, just with an opposite. Now, people are saying they demand to see Trump's tax returns.
Three years ago, these people were saying they demand to see President Obama’s birth certificate. Three years ago, people are saying President Obama’s traveling all the time, playing golf and he’s played more golf than any president in history. Now, I have progressive constituents saying that President Trump is out there traveling and how much are his costs on it.
So, the same type of arguments are coming up back and forth, but I think what you're finding is, Republicans are being consistent. They are playing it straight to say, if there's an issue, let's raise the issue, regardless of who’s in the White House and be able to help solve the issues that we got. So, I don't see that is inconsistent for us.
