John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, Texas' two Republican senators, voted with the chamber's majority on Wednesday, acquitting President Donald Trump in his impeachment trial.
U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, was the sole GOP senator to break ranks and join the Democrats in the 52-to-48 vote against convicting the president on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
There was little question how Cornyn and Cruz would vote. The pair spent considerable time outside of the trial cheerleading the president's defense and attempting to pick holes in the Democrats' handling of the process.
Cruz created a podcast to discuss the trial, dismissing the process as a partisan hatchet job by Democrats. The extra-curricular defense of Trump came even though the president once insulted the appearance of Cruz's wife and falsely claimed his father was linked to the JFK assassination.
Cornyn became an equally vociferous defender, railing against impeachment as "insane" and repeatedly making legal arguments in interviews against calling witnesses. He also unleashed at least one anti-impeachment Tweetstorm worthy of the commander-in-chief himself.
While Cruz won't run for his seat again until 2024, Cornyn is likely to face the toughest reelection fight of his career come November. Democrats have seized on his unyielding allegiance to Trump as a key liability.
"It is the solemn duty of the Senate to seek justice, deliver a full and fair trial, and uphold the Constitution. We watched as Republicans, led by Mitch McConnell and John Cornyn, acquitted this corrupt president and administration," Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa said in a statement released shortly after the vote.
"We must change the course of American politics, and that begins right here in Texas. This is the most important election in modern history. We will defeat Donald Trump and John Cornyn."
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