Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) has announced that he will not be voting for former President Donald Trump in the 2024 election. Romney, who voted twice to convict Trump on impeachment charges, cited a court’s finding that the former president sexually abused E. Jean Carroll in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the 1990s as the reason for his decision.
The court’s finding, which came in a civil lawsuit and was not a criminal conviction, awarded Carroll $5 million in damages for sexual abuse and defamation. Last month, a New York jury also ordered Trump to pay Carroll $83 million for defamation after he claimed he never met her. Trump has stated his intention to appeal the ruling, calling it “absolutely ridiculous” and a political weapon.
Romney, however, has made it clear that he considers the court’s finding of sexual assault to be a line he will not cross when selecting a president. Speaking to reporters at the Utah Capitol, he stated, “I will not be voting for President Trump. I must admit that I find sexual assault to be a line I will not cross in the people I select to be my president.”
This announcement from Romney is not surprising, as he has been increasingly critical of Trump and has previously warned that the former president is “dangerous for the country” and holds authoritarian tendencies. Romney has also indicated that he would consider voting for President Joe Biden and has expressed his acceptance of other Republican candidates running for president, with the exception of entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
