Gov. Gary Herbert threw support Thursday to President Donald Trump, but also to Sen. Mitt Romney for his conscience-based vote to impeach the president.
Herbert said that despite misgivings about Trump’s style, he will vote for him in Utah’s presidential primary on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, he is urging the Republican State Central Committee not to pass a resolution that it is scheduled to consider on Saturday to censure Romney for his impeachment vote.
“Sometimes we don’t like his style,” the governor said of Trump during his monthly news conference at PBS Utah. “But it’s hard to overlook the successes that he’s had.”
Herbert said the Trump administration works closely with the nation’s governors and constantly asks if specific issues are not better handled at the state level.
“That’s a refreshing point of view…. So yes, he’s earned my support.” But he added, “I wish he would quit tweeting at 2 a.m., and some of the pettiness that happens. That’s just him. And I don’t think he’s going to change much.”
Meanwhile, the governor urged the 183-member Republican State Central Committee — of which he is a member — not to pass a proposal on Saturday to censure Romney for his vote to impeach Trump.
He said Romney showed a willingness to “analyze all sides of an issue and then vote your conscience. Isn’t that what we expect every elected official to do?”
Herbert recommended a different step.
“I would recommend to people to say, ‘We don’t agree with your vote for these reasons,' and put the facts out there why. And move on.”
Herbert said he would not vote to censure but may miss Saturday’s meeting because of a scheduling conflict.
He said he knows that Trump is upset with Romney, because the president told him that. “But I think Senator Romney will continue to perform objectively for Utah, voting his deep-held convictions and voting his conscience, which is what he should do.”
