* “First, they accuse Trump of a collusion with Russia. Then it turns out there was no collusion, so this cannot be used as a basis for impeachment. Now they’ve come up with the idea he put pressure on Ukraine.”–Russian President Vladimir Putin.
* “The president of the United States attempted to use his political power to coerce a foreign leader to harass and discredit one of the president’s political opponents. That is not only a violation of the Constitution; more importantly, it is profoundly immoral.”–Mark Gaili, editor in chief of Christianity Today magazine.
* “Our founders, when they wrote the Constitution, they suspected that there could be a rogue president. I don’t think they suspected that we could have a rogue president and a rogue leader in the Senate at the same time.”–House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
* “You have my undying support. Always.”–Ex-Democratic Rep. Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey, during an Oval Office visit with President Trump. The previous day he defected from Democrats and voted against impeachment.
* “There is no joy in this for anyone. No decent-thinking American could take any joy out of this.” CBS reporter Dan Rather, responding to the resignation of President Richard Nixon, who pre-empted impeachment and resigned 45 years ago.
* “Trump knows that whatever the Constitution might say, today’s quisling Republican Party will have his back.”–Eugene Robinson, Washington Post.
* “If the president claims he is so innocent, then why doesn’t he have all the president’s men testify?”–Sen. Amy Klobuchar.
* “An alternative remedy is available, the 2020 election.”–Sen. Marco Rubio.
* “Russia, which has long wanted to prove that liberal democracy is a hypocritical sham, is the natural friend of the Trumpist Republican Party.”–Michelle Goldberg, New York Times.
* “Right and wrong are beyond the moral ken of the amoral majority in the House minority. They simply do not care what Trump does.”–Mac Stipanovich, chief of staff to former Florida Gov. Bob Martinez.
* “My work with President Trump and his administration is only beginning.”–North Carolina Republican Rep. Mark Meadows, a top Trump ally on Capitol Hill, in announcing that he will not seek re-election.
* “The candidates need to point out that Mr. Trump is not fighting China on behalf of workers; he’s doing so for businesses that want a less costly path to set up and expand outsourcing.”–Jared Bernstein, who was the chief economist for Vice President Joe Biden.
* “I hear people saying, ‘I don’t want to hear the president speak because it unnerves me so much. But the good thing about anxiety is that it can have an activating and motivating part to it. I lead people to a discussion of, what can you do.”–Dr. Mary Alvord, a therapist and professor of psychiatry and behavioral medicine at the George Washington University School of Medicine.
* “Everybody’s got three lives: public life, private life and a secret life. Private life is by invitation only. Secret life is nobody’s business.”–Celebrity newspaperman and author Pete Hamill.
* “Month after month, we’ve been seeing pretty good numbers. It’s pretty healthy.”–Raymond James chief economist Scott Brown, after Florida’s unemployment rate dropped to a historic low of 3.1 percent in November. The unemployment rate in Tampa Bay: 2.7 percent.
* “Within the party, I don’t see anything other than full-blown support for the president.”–Hillsborough County Republican Party Chairman Jim Waurishuk.
* “Let me put it this way. I don’t support having the requirement that everyone (use) E-Verify. It’s putting an additional responsibility on non-government officials.”–Florida Senate President Bill Galvano, who is at odds with Gov. Ron DeSantis who wants all Florida businesses to use E-Verify to prevent undocumented immigrants from getting jobs in the state.
* “The idea that Amendment 4 would be available only to people who can afford it is unfair, it’s un-American and it’s unacceptable.”–Hillsborough State Attorney Andrew Warren, in announcing the creation of a process through which those newly-eligible to vote again can submit an application, learn how much they owe the court system and work to get their case in front of a judge.
* “The House Speaker says funding Visit Florida is a waste of money. It would be a bigger waste not to fund it.”–Troy Manthey, chairman of Visit Tampa Bay and president and CEO of Yacht Starship Dining Cruises.
* “This is not a bridge-burning Administration. This is a bridge-building Administration so far.”–Tampa City Council Chairman Luis Viera.
* “As a former MOSI board member I can tell you, I think it’s highly unlikely that MOSI will move to Water Street.”–Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan.
* “Let them explore it. It’s something new.”–Mayor Jane Castor, who favors the idea of the Rays splitting the season with Montreal if the team would move to Tampa.
* “The news (stories) coming out of Moffitt Cancer Center are of great concern and compel further investigation.”–Florida House Speaker Jose Oliva, in announcing that state Rep. Chris Sprowls, slated to succeed Oliva as Speaker, will investigate ties between China and Tampa’s H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute.
* “U.S. research institutions have been asleep in Beijing’s efforts for a long time because they think of themselves as practicing ‘open science’–rather than ‘strategic science,’ as the Chinese government does.”–Josh Rogin, Washington Post.