Rep. Senator John Thune Says Taylor Testimony “Not Good” For Trump

Yesterday afternoon, United States Ambassador Bill Taylor delivered damaging testimony about Donald Trump’s actions with Ukraine. Many members of the GOP supported the President, including Mike Pence, who felt that Trump needs to drain the swamp from the State Department.

Outside of Mitt Romney, very few senators have been willing to speak out when Trump encounters a scandal. South Dakota senator John Thune, however, discussed the Bill Taylor testimony with reporters today, calling it a bad impression for Trump.

Thune was asked about the Taylor testimony by CNN. His words hold additional weight as he is the 2nd highest ranking Republican in the US Senate.

The South Dakota senator replied:

“The picture coming out of it, based on the reporting that we’ve seen, I would say is not a good one. But I would say also that until we have a process that allows for everybody to see this in full transparency, it’s pretty hard to draw any hard and fast conclusions.”

This is the second time that Thune has spoken out against Trump this week. After the President said his impeachment inquiry was like a lynching, many Republicans were willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. The South Dakota senator, though, said the words were, “Inappropriate. That’s not appropriate in any context.”

The South Dakota senator also felt that Trump wasn’t qualified for the office following the release of the Access Hollywood tape. He tweeted at the time, “Donald Trump should withdraw and Mike Pence should be our nominee effective immediately.”

Donald Trump should withdraw and Mike Pence should be our nominee effective immediately.

— Senator John Thune (@SenJohnThune) October 8, 2016