Former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said on Sunday that he hopes Americans will realize that Trump’s presidency was a “failed experiment.”
Johnson, who served as Secretary of Homeland Security under former President Obama, told CNN’s “Fareed Zakaria GPS” that he thinks history will not remember Trump’s presidency and “those who kindly supported it,” even if the Senate decides. Trump for inciting Capitol riots earlier this month.
“Four years ago, we conducted a very dangerous experiment by choosing someone who was completely unfit for office, who had no moral or legal compass, and frankly had impulses toward fascism and autocracy,” Johnson said.
“I hope that over time Americans will realize that this was a failed experiment and that we should never try it again,” he continued. “Just look at the consequences of this over the past four years.
“There is now a track record in which Donald TrumpDonald Trump Facebook Temporarily Bans Ads For Gun Accessories After Capitol Riots Sasse, In Ardent Opinion, Says QAnon Destroys GOP Section 230 That Worked After The Uprising, But Not Before: How To Regulate Social Media MORE and his presidency needs to be judged, so in our democracy, if Congress doesn’t come up on this, the American public needs to, ”he added.
“I hope that over time Americans will realize that this was a failed experiment and that we should never try it again.”
Fmr Homeland Security Sec. Jeh Johnson on impeachment, Trump’s political future and our fact-free environment – pt. 2 of our talk today: pic.twitter.com/hwKAdwlyPd
– Fareed Zakaria (@FareedZakaria) January 17, 2021
Johnson told Zakaria he hopes the Senate will vote to condemn the president, but said it is ultimately “up to the US electorate” to decide whether Trump can qualify as a future candidate.
The former Homeland Security secretary called on social media to improve scrutiny of political content as polls show a majority of Republicans falsely believe the president-elect Joe BidenJoe Biden Missouri woman seen with Pelosi sign charged in connection with Capitol riots Facebook temporarily bans ads for gun accessories after Capitol riots Sasse, in ardent opinion, says QAnon GOP is destroying MORE had not been legitimately chosen to take office this week.
Biden will be inaugurated Wednesday, two weeks after pro-Trump rioters raided the Capitol to try to prevent Congress from certifying the president-elect’s victory.
The riots forced lawmakers to flee to safe locations and the chambers to stop the electoral college debate, though lawmakers certified the results hours after law enforcement secured the Capitol. Five people, including a Capitol police officer, died as a result of the raid.
The House last week charged Trump on the charge that he turned on the crowd in the Capitol after calling out protests to march to the Capitol, ‘show strength’ and ‘fight like hell’ or ‘you won’t get any more land . “