Senate

Mitt Romney invokes late father during the Civil Rights Movement amid protests

by J. Edward Moreno - 06/06/20 10:56 PM ET

Republican Sen. Mitt Romney (Utah) shared a photo on Saturday of his father, former Michigan Gov. George Romney (R), participating in a civil rights march in the suburbs of Detroit in the late 1960’s.

Romney, who has been critical of President Trump’s use of force on protesters, shared a quote from his father: “Force alone will not eliminate riots. We must eliminate the problems from which they stem.”

This is my father, George Romney, participating in a Civil Rights march in the Detroit suburbs during the late 1960s—“Force alone will not eliminate riots,” he said. “We must eliminate the problems from which they stem.” pic.twitter.com/SzrcAyfPD8

— Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) June 6, 2020

The Utah senator has been one of a few GOP lawmakers who have criticized the president over his handling of demonstrations protesting the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died in Minneapolis police custody on May 25.

“Peaceful protests underscore the urgency of addressing injustices. But violence drowns the message of the protestors and mocks the principles of justice,” Romney tweeted earlier this week.

On Wednesday former Defense Secretary James Mattis offered a blistering critique of President Trump as a divisive leader, which Romney said “was stunning and powerful.”

“He’s an American patriot. He’s an individual whose judgment I respect, and I think the world of him,” Romney told reporters.

The George Floyd murder is abhorrent. Peaceful protests underscore the urgency of addressing injustices. But violence drowns the message of the protestors and mocks the principles of justice.

— Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) May 31, 2020

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), one of the caucus’s most moderate members, told reporters on Thursday that she was “struggling” about the decision of whether or not to support Trump in the upcoming November election.

The president later tweeted that he was going to campaign against her, saying he will endorse anyone with a pulse.