共和党全国委员会前主席迈克尔·斯蒂尔对国会共和党议员进行了严厉指责，称他们“非常害怕”唐纳德·特朗普总统，当他们挺身而出反抗他时，“已经太迟了”
前马里兰州副州长斯蒂尔曾于2009年至2011年担任该党主席，他周一在MSNBC的一次会议上号召共和党人早上好乔。这位前共和党领导人经常批评特朗普及其政府，他重申了这一批评，敦促共和党人考虑他们竞选时最初支持的价值观。
“我不知道我还能说些什么，或者我们中的任何一个人还能说些什么。但是我想问这个。值得吗？真的值得吗？民主、法治的价值，就是你在整个政治生涯中所支持的理想和原则，你作为一名新议员或两届参议员作为党和国家的领导人继续前进，值得吗？”他问道。“这个人是不是[·特朗普]值得你现在牺牲的一切？”
迈克尔·斯蒂尔于2010年11月2日在华盛顿特区君悦酒店举行的共和党全国国会委员会中期选举结果观察会上讲话
"你打算在哪里划清界限？"斯蒂尔继续说道。“如果你不是在夏洛茨维尔画的，如果你不是在巴尔的摩画的，如果你不是在把孩子关在笼子里画的，如果你不是在穆斯林禁令上画的，你知道，你打算在哪里画这条线？因为作为一个美国人，不是作为一个共和党人，不是作为一个党派人士，作为一个美国人，我想从我的领导人那里知道你的底线，”他断言。
“如果你还没有画出来，请在画的时候告诉我们，”他说。"不过，我敢肯定一切都太晚了。"
这位前RNC主席指责国会的共和党人“如此害怕这个人，以至于他们愿意牺牲他们所坚持的一切”他还抨击了共和党议员，他们建议弹劾和罢免特朗普将引发一场“内战”
“你真的准备好和你的选民坐下来支持一场内战了吗，引用一下，因为唐纳德·特朗普因为他自己的问题和他的所作所为而陷入政治困境？”斯蒂尔问道。“你会为此挺身而出吗？”
一些共和党人和保守派评论员威胁说，民主党领导的弹劾特朗普的努力会导致一场“内战”特朗普在9月底转发了罗伯特·杰弗里斯牧师发出的警告，招致民主党人和一些共和党人的强烈批评。是的重复者上周，在众议院正式投票——主要是按照政党路线——批准弹劾调查的规则后，得克萨斯州共和党众议员路易·戈默特(Louie Gohmert)表示同意。
“我不想参与，这是一场内战。戈默特说:“一些历史学家——我不记得是谁——说，‘枪支只涉及内战的最后阶段’。斯蒂尔抨击内战威胁在周六对MSNBC的采访中。
“我不知道这些人到底怎么了，”他说。“是谁开始这种愚蠢的行为的？唐纳德·特朗普？你在开玩笑吗？”
人们普遍预计特朗普将在民主党控制的众议院面临弹劾。弹劾投票只需要微弱多数的议员投赞成票就可以通过。然而，大多数分析师认为特朗普极不可能被共和党控制的参议院罢免。参议院还需要三分之二多数才能正式罢免总统。国会上院由53名共和党人、45名民主党人和两名与民主党人组成核心小组的独立人士组成。
这弹劾调查特朗普面临的主要问题是，他试图不正当地向乌克兰领导人施压，要求他们展开调查，以损害他的政治对手。尽管特朗普及其支持者坚称调查毫无根据，但许多特朗普任命的外交官和国家安全官员已在闭门证词中作证，以证实对总统的许多核心指控。
FORMER REPUBLICAN LEADER SAYS BY THE TIME PARTY MEMBERS AGREE TRUMP HAS CROSSED THE LINE 'IT'LL BE TOO LATE'
The former chairman of the Republican National Committee Michael Steele issued a scathing rebuke of GOP lawmakers in Congress saying they are "so afraid" of President Donald Trump that by the time they stand up to him "it'll be too late."
Steele, the former Lt. Governor of Maryland who served as his party's chairman from 2009 to 2011, called out Republicans Monday during a segment of MSNBC's Morning Joe. The former GOP leader has been a frequent critic of Trump and his administration, and he reiterated that criticism, urging Republicans to consider the values they originally espoused when they ran for office.
"I don't know if there's anything that I could say or any of us could say at this point that hasn't already been said. But I would ask this. Is it worth it? Is it really worth it? Is the value of democracy, the rule of law, the very ideals and principles that you've espoused for your entire political career, that you ran on as a freshman congressman or a two-term senator as a leader both in the party and the country, is it worth it?" he asked. "Is this one man [Trump] worth all that you're sacrificing right now?"
Michael Steele talks at the Republican National Congressional Committee's midterm election results watch party at the Grand Hyatt Hotel on November 2, 2010 in Washington, D.C.
"Where are you going to draw the line?" Steele continued. "If you didn't draw it at Charlottesville, if you didn't draw it at Baltimore, if you didn't draw it at locking kids up in cages, if you didn't draw it at, you know, a Muslim ban, where are you going to draw the line? Because that, as an American, not as a Republican, not as a partisan, as an American I want to know from my leaders where you draw the line," he asserted.
"If you haven't drawn it yet, please let us know when you do," he said. "I betcha it'll be too late though."
The ex-RNC chair accused Republicans in Congress of being "so afraid of this one man that they're willing to sacrifice everything that they've stood on." He also slammed the GOP lawmakers who have suggested impeaching and removing Trump would launch a "civil war."
"Are you really prepared to sit down with your constituents and support a, quote, civil war because Donald Trump is in political trouble because of his own problems, what he's done?" Steele asked. "You're going to stand up for that?"
Some Republicans and conservative commentators have threatened that Democratic-led efforts to impeach Trump would lead to a "civil war." Trump retweeted the warning issued by Pastor Robert Jeffress at the end of September, drawing significant criticism from Democrats and some Republicans. It was repeated by GOP Representative Louie Gohmert of Texas last week after the House of Representatives formally voted—largely along party lines—to approve the rules governing the impeachment inquiry going forward.
"I don't want to ever have participation in, it's a civil war. Some historian — I don't remember who — said, 'Guns are only involved in the last phase of a civil war,'" Gohmert said.
Steele blasted the civil war threats during a Saturday interview with MSNBC as well.
"I don't know what the hell is wrong with these people," he said. "Who started this silliness? Over Donald Trump? Are you freaking kidding me?"
Trump is widely expected to face impeachment in the House, which is controlled by Democrats. An impeachment vote only requires a slim majority of lawmakers to vote in favor to pass. However, it is seen by most analysts as highly unlikely that Trump will be removed from office by the Senate, which is controlled by Republicans. The Senate also requires a two-thirds majority in order to formally remove the president. The upper chamber of Congress is composed of 53 Republicans, 45 Democrats and two independents who caucus with Democrats.
The impeachment inquiry facing Trump centers around his efforts to improperly pressure Ukrainian leaders to open investigations in a bid to damage his political rivals. Although Trump and his supporters have insisted that the inquiry is baseless, numerous Trump-appointed diplomats and national security officials have testified in closed-door depositions to corroborate many of the central allegations against the president.
