Silke Jasso
Republican senator Mitt Romney is the recipient of this year’s John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage award for his vote to convict former President Donald Trump during his first impeachment trial as well as his “consistent and courageous defense of democracy.” Through a press release the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation stated “During a time of grave threat to U.S. democratic institutions, Mitt Romney has been a consistent but often solitary Republican voice in defense of democracy and the rule of law.”
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Former Ambassador Caroline Kennedy told NBC News chief White House correspondent Peter Alexander that Romney was “willing to risk his career and his popularity with his own party to do what’s right for our country and to follow his conscience and Constitution and his impeachment votes.” She will present the Profile in Courage Award to Romney through a virtual ceremony in May. Noting that he once ran against Ted Kennedy, Caroline Kennedy’s late uncle, Romeny stated” I’m very appreciative of the honor, but also humbled by it.
John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award
Sen. Romney is the recipient of this year's John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award for his vote to convict former President Trump during his first impeachment trial. https://t.co/toj7PkK4QM
— NBC News (@NBCNews) March 26, 2021
She continued saying that she thinks his courage is an example for all Americans. Senator Romney of Utah is the first senator in U.S. history to vote to convict the president in his own party. Trump was acquitted of allegations that he had solicited for interference during the 2020 presidential election. He voted to convict Trump for abuse of power voting with Republicans to acquit Trump of the second article of impeachment, obstruction on Congress.
At the end of Trump’s second impeachment trial, Romney was one of the seven GOP senators to vote to convict Trump for incitement of an insurrection that was related to his reckless actions during the attack on the US Capitol on January 6th. The former president was acquitted by the Senate and was found not guilty of all charges.
Senator Mitt Romney’s Statment on Trump’s Impeachment Trial
Sen. Mitt Romney’s vote created several enemies in his party but he said that he doesn’t regret his decision. He stated, “I sleep well because I know that I did what my conscience told me was the right thing to do. We swore a diff oath when the impeachment trial began,” Romney added. “We swore, under God, that we would apply impartial justice. I took that very, very seriously. I listened to the various testimonies that were provided, I looked into it with some depth … and I felt that that was a severe enough violation of his oath of office to require a guilty verdict. What I’ve found throughout life is doing those things that you know are right which respond to the promptings of your conscience allows you to have a greater degree of happiness and satisfaction than if you just do things to try and get ahead.”
Caroline Kennedy’s son, 28-year-old Jack Schlossberg, states that Romney’s actions prove that faith and courage, and integrity are not outdated, and being a politician can still be a noble profession.
