The majority of Americans, including U.S. President Donald Trump, monitored the explosive testimony of former FBI Director James Comey before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday. The almost three hours of question and answer highlighted how important the issue of Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election is.
All the political mess created by the situation could have been avoided had then-Republican presidential candidate Trump denounced Russia when it's meddling in the 2016 U.S. election was revealed. Had Trump denounced it rather than calling the accusation of Moscow interference 'fake news,' Comey would not need to testify, former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said on Friday.
Russia is number 1 geopolitical foe of U.S.
It is ironic that Romney, who was criticized in 2012 by Democrats for stating that the number 1 geopolitical foe of the U.S. is Russia, was considered by Trump a candidate for Secretary of State. The New York Post reported that Trump briefly considered Romney for the position once occupied by Hillary Clinton.
When he was informed about it, Romney said on Friday at a gathering of Republican officials, top donors, and business leaders at a resort in Utah that he called all former secretaries of state, including Clinton, to consult about the job offer. They all told Romney to accept the job if offered to him.
Miles apart on policies
A year ago, Romney and Trump did not see eye to eye on a lot of issues.
The former Massachusetts governor was one of the harshest critics of Trump in the 2016 election. He called the real estate billionaire a fraud and phony, but the two sort of mended fences when they had a private dinner in late 2016 when Romney even praised the incoming president.
Even then, Romney said his stand on Syria, North Korea, NATO, and China was at the opposite end from where Trump stood.
The secretary of state candidate, however, hoped the new president would be open to other opinions. When he considered accepting the position, Romney said it did not mean he suddenly had a different point of view to be on the same page as Trump.
When Trump announced the job went to Rex Tillerson, the former CEO of Exxon Mobil, Romney said he was not the right person for the post due to his differences with Trump over a lot of issues.
Despite the GOP weighed down by the Russian investigation, Spencer Zwick, the former fundraising chief of Romney, said the 230 Republican power players who attended the Friday gathering hope the party’s priorities, such as overhaul of the tax code and health care reforms, will still be done.
The New York Post wrote that "Romney made the comments as he held court at the resort in the mountains of Park City where he hosts an annual meeting of largely Republican power players for a mix of hobnobbing, policy talks and outdoor excursions like alpine hikes with Romney, which the 70-year-old takes at a blistering pace."
