Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) argued Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that former President Barack Obama’s open mic moment in 2012, when Obama told Russian President Dmitry Medvedev “after my election I have more flexibility,” was more impeachable than President Donald Trump’s actions in Ukraine.

Ernst said, “Whether you like what the president has done or not — we can argue this up one side and down the other all day — does it come to the point of removing a president from office? I don’t believe this does. I’ll tie it back to Obama and his hot mic moment with the former president of Russia, where he literally said give me some space in my election. Oops, OK, talking about elections.”

Host Jake Tapper said, “He was talking about a missile defense.”

Ernst said, “Yes but a missile defense that the Congress wanted him to build up make much more robust protect America citizens and President Obama choose not to do that as long as the Russians gave him space in the elections. That nobody brought up for impeachment. So the very fact that because aid was held for about two months because there was not an official White House meeting, people are wanting to impeach this president. What President Trump did it didn’t rise to the level of what President Obama did.”

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