(LibertySociety.com) – While the debate over the Senate foreign aid bill was still ongoing, Ohio Republican Senator J.D. Vance brought attention to a provision that would likely handcuff former President Trump during his second term should he etch out a victory in 2024. Vance released a memo on February 12 detailing the provision, which he deemed “an impeachment time bomb.” Vance was referencing the two accounts that the bill would fund for Ukraine, noting that the funding would not expire until September 30, 2025. He pointed out that House Democrats impeached Trump in 2019 for placing a hold on the same two accounts, although he called their reasoning “a false argument.”
Vance quoted Trump’s frequent rhetoric about how he would end the war in Ukraine very quickly. He argued that Democrats would try and impeach Trump again if he decided to pause the funding to attempt a peaceful end to the war. He concluded his memo with a warning that the provision was a way to prevent Trump from conducting foreign policy in the way he sees fit. He urged his Republican colleagues to oppose the bill’s passage. Several Republican lawmakers who also opposed the bill spent the night of February 12 into the early morning hours of February 13 giving speeches on the Senate floor until their time expired. Ultimately, 22 Republicans voted in favor of the bill, allowing its passage.
A recent report from the Washington Post highlighted that a top priority of the Biden administration was to ensure that Trump would be prevented from making changes to current United States foreign policy. Vance cited the article in his memo, noting that the outlet claimed that White House officials often bragged about their plans in that effort.
On February 14, House Speaker Mike Johnson reportedly said that he would not rush to bring the bill up for a vote. However, Republicans could coalesce with Democrats and use a discharge petition to circumvent the Speaker. On February 15, Vance doubled down on his warning after former Vice President Mike Pence’s think tank sent a memo to Republican senators blowing off Vance’s claims.
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