Republicans Are Now Comparing Impeachment to Pearl Harbor, the Trial of Jesus, and the Salem Witch Trials

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President Trump will likely be impeached by the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives on Wednesday. And Republicans are wasting no time in making it clear they disagree with the process on a biblical level.

“When Jesus was falsely accused of treason, Pontius Pilate gave Jesus the opportunity to face his accusers,” said Rep. Barry Loudermilk, a Republican from Georgia. “During that sham trial, Pontius Pilate afforded more rights to Jesus than Democrats have afforded this president in this process.”

To be sure, Pontius Pilate also ordered that Christ be crucified. Trump, meanwhile, is being accused of pressuring Ukraine to investigate one of his 2020 political rivals, Joe Biden, and faces only grave political embarrassment and a permanent stain on his presidential record.

“Jesus” trended on Twitter for a time after Loudermilk’s comment.

For his part, Trump has compared the process to the Salem Witch Trials, which also resulted in several deaths. (Trump will likely be impeached by the House and acquitted by the GOP-controlled Senate in a trial set for early January, meaning he won't be leaving the Oval Office anytime soon.)

Rep. Mike Kelly, a Republican from Pennsylvania, also made the argument that America might not want to add Trump’s impeachment to the roster of historic December events — for example, Christmas, the anniversary of the Boston Tea Party, and the anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attacks.

“Today, December 18th, 2019, is another date that will live in infamy,” Kelly said, echoing what President Franklin Roosevelt said on Dec. 7, 1941, the day Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese.

Another Republican, Rep. Clay Higgins, warned the republic was at stake, perhaps by threat of socialism.

“I have descended into the belly of the beast,” Higgins said. “I have witnessed a terror from within. And I rise committed to oppose the insidious forces which threaten our republic."

And GOP Rep. Ross Spano, of Florida, got loud when speaking on the floor about how he was “disappointed” in the impeachment process.

“This is INCREDIBLY divisive, and has lowered the bar for what future presidents WILL face,” Spano said.

Cover: President Donald Trump listens to a question during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, Dec. 13, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)