Senator Mitt Romney has received the Profile in Courage Award for the role he played in Donald Trump's 2020 impeachment.
Here's the full story...
Very quickly, the words of congratulations have been flooding in.
Congrats✨ @MittRomney You stood up for JUSTICE. The rest of the GOP Senate must've sold their souls to trump.
— SiouxGlam (@GlamSioux) March 26, 2021
To me this is a tribute to a politician I have the upmost respect for and have respected him for many yrs. This tribute, also, intended or not helps to dispel the political tribalism we are presently stuck in.
— Frances Supernaw (@superna2Fances) March 26, 2021
How perfect! The only Republican with enough courage to do what's right.Trump absolutely did incite an Insurrection against America. All of the other Republicans were too cowardly to put America b4 their Party bc they know trump supporters r too tribal to put America 1st.Terrible
— Mello (@mello6789) March 26, 2021
Well deserved!
— Karen (@kltinvt) March 26, 2021
They made the right decision.👍
— Curtis My Name (@CurtisIP1) March 26, 2021
I cannot think of someone more deserving of this award. Good on him. https://t.co/8Ce20hBomU
— March Madness ConDem🌐 🦅 🇺🇸 (@dem4romney) March 26, 2021
This is what public service is all about. To defend the constitution far beyond special interest groups. Lecciones para aprender en nuestros países en Latinoamérica y en Colombia 💪💪💪 @MittRomney
— Mauricio Castillo Pérez (@MaoCastilloPe) March 26, 2021
Congratulations, @SenatorRomney!
— Jude Nagurney Camwell (@Iddybud) March 26, 2021
A good man. Congratulations.
— Maestro 🇺🇸 (@janemaestro) March 26, 2021
Yes, yes, yes!!! The perfect choice!
— Joshua Clarke (@JoshuaC49720476) March 26, 2021
Now, the Utah Republican caused a lot of anger among Republican supporters earlier this year...
Mainly when he refused to back Donald Trump's outrageous election theories regarding inconsistencies.
And then, to make things even worse...
Romney voted to impeach and convict Trump for the second time - something that was not agreed with by other Republicans and Trump supporters.
With that decision, Romney became the first senator in U.S. history to vote to convict a president in his same party...
Ultimately earning him the award created by the family of former President John F. Kennedy and bestowed upon public figures who risk their careers by embracing unpopular positions for the greater good.
JFK's daughter, former Ambassador Caroline Kennedy, told Alexander that Romney was chosen because his actions were reminiscent of the lawmakers highlighted in her father's book, Profiles in Courage.
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"He was willing to risk his career and his popularity within his own party to do what's right for our country and to follow his conscience and Constitution and his impeachment votes," she said. "I think his courage is an example for all of us."
She remarked that it was another act of bravery for the senator even to accept the award.
"Not everybody has the courage to accept this award, but we're grateful to the senator, and we feel as a committee, we have to be courageous to call it as we see it," she explained. "Certainly Sen. Romney's example stood out."
On his achievement, the seventy-four-year-old senator told NBC News chief White House correspondent Peter Alexander in a TODAY interview:
"I'm very appreciative of the honor, but also humbled by it."
And, when asked whether his vote was worth it, Romney answered:
"Absolutely. I mean, I sleep well because I know that I did what my conscience told me was the right thing to do."
He explained that he had ultimately decided to vote to convict Trump because of the oath he and his congressional colleagues swore at the start of the impeachment trial, which ended in acquittal.
"We swore, under God, that we would apply impartial justice. I took that very, very seriously," he said. "I listened to the various testimonies that were provided ... And I felt that that was a severe enough violation of his oath of office to require a guilty verdict."
Romney also noted that there was "some irony" in his receiving the award because he previously ran for office against a Kennedy, JFK's younger brother, Ted.
"We became very good friends as time went on and actually collaborated together on a piece of legislation to provide health care to all the citizens of our state," he explained.
