Senator Mitt Romney just announced in his Senate floor speech that he will honor the oath he took to do impartial justice and vote for Trump's conviction and removal from office.

"The president delayed funds for an American ally at war with Russian invaders," he said, making his case for his vote. "The president's purpose was personal and political. Accordingly, the president is guilty of an appalling abuse of public trust. What he did was not perfect. No, it was a flagrant assault of our electoral rights."

"I acknowledge that my verdict will not remove the president from office, so this Senate court will in fact be appealed to a higher court -- the people of the United States of America, " he said.

"Were I to ignore the evidence that has been presented and disregard what I believe my oath and the constitution demands of me for the sake of a partisan end, it would, I fear, expose my character to history's rebuke & the censor of my own conscience."

I think that is the first time Mitt Romney has made a courageous decision. He will vote to acquit on the contempt of Congress charge but convict on the abuse of power, saying that Donald Trump should be removed from office.

It is hard to convey the weight of the 2012 Republican nominee for president voting to impeach and remove the Republican president from office, but here we are.

I cannot remember a time in the last 10 years when I saw Mitt Romney do the courageous thing, but today he did. And if Democrats stay together, the vote at 4 PM Eastern will be a bipartisan vote to convict him, even though he will be acquitted by the 52 Republican Senators who chose NOT to honor their oaths.