Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee described President Donald Trump's impeachment proceedings as "political pornography" and a "waste of time and taxpayers' money," during an interview with The Sentinel-Record Wednesday.
Huckabee was in Hot Springs speaking at a campaign fundraiser for state Sen. Alan Clark, R-District 13, held at The Vapors, 315 Park Ave.
"Ambien sales have plummeted this week because people have decided if they watch the impeachment hearings, they'll go to sleep much faster than if they take an Ambien," Huckabee said, jokingly. "It's an embarrassment to the country."
According to an Associated Press article published Thursday, Trump is alleged to have abused the power of his office by putting personal political gain over national security interests and engaging in bribery by withholding $400 million in military aid Congress had approved for Ukraine.
"It's unfortunate that the Democrats seem to have zero respect for the election process," Huckabee said. "They fear that the president will be reelected in a landslide, which I predict he will be, so they feel like their only hope is to come up with this phony, absurd and frankly embarrassing impeachment process ... I call it political pornography."
According to the AP article, at the heart of the inquiry is his July 25 phone call asking Ukraine to investigate rival Democrats including Joe Biden as he was withholding aid from the ally, which faced an aggressive Russia on its border.
Huckabee said Trump's phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy did not warrant impeachment.
"If it did, he wouldn't have been the one to release (the phone call's transcript)," he said. "To me, the whole thing is shattered by the fact that he, himself, released the phone call -- every bit of it -- held nothing back. If it was untoward, he would have kept that sealed and hidden from view, and instead he said 'Here it is, see what I said.'"
According to the AP, Republicans defended the president during the hearing in a 123-page rebuttal claiming Trump never intended to pressure Ukraine when he asked for investigations of Biden and his son.
Huckabee said Zelenskiy has "adamantly" said, on four separate occasions, one as recently as Monday, that there was no pressure or quid pro quo, and he was not a victim.
"If you're going to say he was victimized by the president, shouldn't the victim be aware of it?" Huckabee asked. "That's the absurdity of this whole thing, is that the alleged person who was squeezed felt no pressure whatsoever and has repeatedly publicly said that every conversation he and the president of the United States have had have been appropriate."
Huckabee said he predicts the outcome of the impeachment proceedings to be a "waste of time and taxpayer money at the expense of being able to get some things done that really would help (the country)."
"We ought to be building roads, we ought to be securing the border, we ought to be continuing the legislation that cuts expenses for small business owners, but instead they're spending millions of dollars in these ridiculous shows so they get a little camera time," he said. "But I think in the long run the American people aren't stupid; they can watch 30 minutes of this (hearing) and see what it's all about, and I think it has already backfired dramatically on the Democrats."
Clark said he invited Huckabee to speak at his campaign fundraiser because he "had the ability to."
"Gov. Huckabee does not come for many state legislators," he said. "I have the greatest respect for him and have had a relationship with him since he first ran for U.S. Senate, so when I had the ability to get him to come and endorse me, it was a no-brainer."
Huckabee said he has known Clark since he was first "kicking the tires" about his first political race in 1991.
"I've watched him as an extraordinary public servant," he said. "There's been a consistency and authenticity about his service that just makes me very proud. ... My only regret, and this is a genuine regret, is I didn't get to be governor during his tenure in the legislature, because boy would I have loved to have worked with him."
Huckabee said Clark has "fought for cutting regulations, keeping taxes low, holding government's feet to the fire on spending money that it shouldn't be spending; and I think those are things that people can look at and say 'I don't care if you're Democrat or Republican, Independent -- that's beneficial.'"
Local on 12/06/2019