Last week will go down as one of the most historic in modern American history. Donald Trump delivered his third State of the Union address on the eve of his impeachment trial’s conclusion in the U.S. Senate.
After Republican senators blocked a vote that would have introduced more evidence into the trial — including witnesses and documents — it was only a matter of time before they inevitably voted to acquit the president, who was facing abuse of power and obstruction of Congress charges.
But that wouldn’t be before several key GOP senators — including Lamar Alexander, Lisa Murkowski, and Susan Collins — waxed poetic on the Senate floor about the seriousness of the president’s wrongdoings, only to determine that they weren’t bad enough to be impeachable.
Congresswoman Maxine Waters, the first House Member to publicly call for Trump’s impeachment, isn’t buying it.
“I feel that they’re gutless,” Waters tells Shondaland. Given her stance, it's no surprise the veteran Congresswoman did not attend the State of the Union address.
“I feel that they’re intimidated. They’re only thinking about themselves. They’re not real patriots,” she adds.
Waters calls the Republicans’ behavior surprising, given that the GOP has traditionally labeled itself as the party that loves America the most. And yet, she argues, they’re letting Trump get away with asking a foreign country to interfere with U.S. elections and using the office of the presidency for his own personal and political gain. Because of this, Waters wonders: Where is their sense of patriotic duty?
“They don’t put country first, and it’s surprising because many of the conservative members have always touted themselves as being patriotic — more patriotic than anybody else,” Waters says. “They say they love the flag more than anybody else. But they’re revealing who they really are and what they really care about.”
In other words, condemning Trump’s actions without actually doing anything about it is a ruse Waters sees right through.
“[They seem to] agree that this has been a dishonorable president, that he has attempted to bribe the president of Ukraine — one of our friendly nations that we’re trying to help support against Russia, who Russia would like to invade,” says Waters. “They all have defined themselves as not caring about our country and about what the president is capable of doing: abusing his power.”
As the first member of Congress to even utter the word “impeachment,” Waters faced criticism from all corners of the political landscape. Many argued that she brought it up too early in Trump’s presidency. But Waters has never shied away from calling a thing a thing.
So, what’s it like being a black woman who’s speaking truth to power? And is it more difficult for her than for her non-black colleagues — especially when she has been personally attacked by Trump?
“Well, of course,” Waters says. “There are those who disagree with me and some think, ‘How does this black woman have the audacity to take on the president of the United States and call for his impeachment so early? He’s just gotten elected. Who does she think she is?’ But, of course, I’ve never ever waited until I was given permission to think for myself and to have an opinion.”
Congresswoman Barbara Lawrence from Michigan has served alongside Waters since 2015. She emphasized the significance of Waters’ role in advancing the notion of impeachment within the greater public discourse.
“Maxine Waters has always been a strong, powerful, independent voice,” says Lawrence. “And she, like the rest of us, was looking at the actions of this president. We knew about his behavior before he got in office, and I didn’t expect anything less out of Maxine Waters.”
Although the Senate voted mostly along party lines to acquit Trump of the charges he faced from the House — that doesn’t mean it’s time to give up.
According to Lawrence, some Republicans going on the record about Trump’s charges could work to Democrats’ advantage in what is shaping up to be a very tight — and contentious — presidential race.
“I’m really pleased that we finally got the Republicans to say he did something wrong versus saying, ‘There’s nothing here. There’s nothing to see, nothing wrong,’” she says. “They’re literally verbalizing that the president did something wrong. There has been a dent put in his armor. There’s an election coming up, and I’m hoping the American public stays tuned.”
Waters echoed that sentiment, encouraging folks to do one of two things. First of all: vote.
“People can still do something about this presidency by getting out to vote,” Waters says. “This is a presidential election and it’s all about, ‘Who do you want to lead this country?’ ‘How has this president defined himself?’ ‘Has he defined himself in a way that you can trust him, that you can be comfortable with him?’ I don’t think so. He has defined himself as a dishonorable human being who’s calling names, who’s lying constantly, who cannot be trusted.”
Second, Waters wants the public to pay close attention to how Congress continues to do its job — or not — in the coming months leading up to the election in November. She singled out committee chairs as having especially essential roles during this time.
“Those of us who chair these committees must continue with our oversight,” Waters says. “It does not stop here.”
She has, for example, issued subpoenas for Trump's financial documents from Deutsche Bank, which have traveled through the court system — from the lower courts, through the appeals courts, to now the Supreme Court. Sometime this year, the nation’s highest court will hear the case to determine whether the Trump administration has to honor those subpoenas.
“We’ll continue our work because I’m determined to unveil and give transparency to all of his finances because I believe there’s money laundering and some other criminal acts there,” says Waters. “I act on my deep thoughts, on my understanding about how things are working, and on what I feel is in the best interest of this country and its citizens. That’s what I’ve always done, and that’s what I’ll continue to do.”
Mekita Rivas is a contributing writer at Refinery29. In addition to Shondaland, her writing has been published in The Washington Post, Architectural Digest, Food & Wine, Wine Enthusiast, Glamour, Brides, Self, and others. She currently lives in Washington, D.C. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
Get Shondaland directly in your inbox: SUBSCRIBE TODAY
