Former Bush Aide Slams 'Insane' GOP Defense of Trump: 'You've Elevated Donald Trump to Suffer More than Jesus Christ?'

Elise Jordan, who served in the administration of President George W. Bush, mocked the defenses of President Donald Trump that Republicans put forward ahead of the Wednesday evening impeachment vote, calling them "insane."

Jordan, who is now a contributor to MSNBC, took particular issue with GOP Representative Barry Loudermilk comparing Trump to the biblical Jesus. "Before you take this historic vote today, one week before Christmas, keep this in mind," Loudermilk said in remarks on the House floor. "When Jesus was falsely accused of treason, Pontius Pilate gave Jesus the opportunity to face his accusers."

"During that sham trial, Pontius Pilate afforded more rights to Jesus than Democrats afforded this president in this process," he argued.

Responding to Loudermilk's and other Republican representatives' defenses of Trump, Jordan expressed disbelief during a segment of MSNBC's Morning Joe Thursday. "You got to almost revel in how insane the day had gotten," she said.

"After so much nonsense, after hearing Donald Trump compared to, you know, Jesus being nailed to a cross and tortured, after hearing Republicans compare Democrats to Joe McCarthy, Joseph Stalin, to Pearl Harbor," she said with a laugh, "it had gotten simply so ridiculous." Jordan asserted, however, that "the Jesus one bothers me the most because it's so sacrilegious."

"How are you gonna feel at your candlelight service on Christmas Eve when you actually are dealing with Christmas, that you've been so upset about Christ being taken out of Christmas, but then suddenly you've elevated Donald Trump to suffer more than Jesus Christ?" the analyst wondered. "It's just kind of an interesting conundrum for those evangelicals who put themselves behind that line of argument."

In a statement emailed to Newsweek, Loudermilk defended his remarks.

"When taken in the context of which it was given, my comments were not sacrilegious at all. Some have claimed that I was comparing the President to Jesus, but that was clearly not the case. My comparison was with the process, not the people. As a Christian, I believe God gave us scripture to apply to every aspect of our lives," the congressman said.

Despite the defenses presented by Republicans, the House of Representatives voted to impeach the president on Wednesday evening. Both articles of impeachment passed the Democratic-controlled chamber of Congress along party lines, with nearly identical votes. Democratic Representative Jared Golden of Maine only voted "yes" on the article for "Abuse of Power," but voted "no" on the second for "Obstruction of Congress."

Overall, the first article passed 230 to 197, while the second passed 229 to 198. Representative Justin Amash of Michigan, who was elected as a Republican but declared his independence in July, was the lone conservative to vote with his Democratic colleagues. Notably, Democratic presidential candidate Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii voted "present," declining to take a firm position on the president's impeachment. Two Democrats, Representatives Collin Peterson of Minnesota and Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey, voted "no" on both articles.

In a rally in Battle Creek, Michigan held during the vote, Trump again dismissed the impeachment altogether, insisting he had done nothing wrong. "It doesn't really feel like we're being impeached," he told supporters at the event.

This article was updated with a statement from Representative Loudermilk.