Republican Sen. Richard Shelby Richard Craig ShelbySenate GOP eyes early exit Dems discussing government funding bill into February GOP short of votes on Trump's controversial Fed pick MORE (Ala.) on Sunday said President Trump Donald John TrumpObama calls on Senate not to fill Ginsburg's vacancy until after election Planned Parenthood: 'The fate of our rights' depends on Ginsburg replacement Progressive group to spend M in ad campaign on Supreme Court vacancy MORE’s requests for foreign nations to investigate 2020 presidential candidate Joe Bniden and his son were “just statements” and that presidents were prone to "mistakes of judgement."

Shelby made the comments amid questioning on ABC's "This Week" about the upcoming Senate impeachment trial and whether Trump's dealings with Ukraine met the standard for an impeachable offense. Host George Stephanopoulos George Robert StephanopoulosTrump ABC town hall pulls in fewer viewers than 'America's Got Talent,' NBA, Fox News The Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by The Air Line Pilots Association - Trump contradicts CDC director on vaccine, masks The Memo: Warning signs flash for Trump on debates MORE pressed Shelby on whether it was appropriate for Trump to solicit foreign interference, regardless of whether he felt it was impeachable.

"Well, I don’t know that has actually been proven. That’s all in dispute. I’ve never seen anything where Trump was actually involved in it," Shelby responded, prompting Stephanopoulos to note that Trump publicly urged China and Ukraine to investigate the Bidens in early October.

ADVERTISEMENT

Trump made the statements while speaking to reporters about a week after the White House released a partial transcript showing that he'd urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate unfounded theories about 2016 election interference and unsubstantiated allegations about the Bidens.

"We’ve seen the president in public ask the Ukrainians to get involved, ask the Chinese to get involved," Stephanopoulos said.

"Well, those are just statements, political. They make them all the time," Shelby said.

"So it's OK?" Stephanopoulos asked.

Shelby on Trump soliciting foreign interference: "Those are just statements, political"@GStephanopoulos: "So it's OK?"



Sen. Shelby: "I didn't say it was OK ..."



GS: This is the president of the U.S.



Shelby: He's "human" and is going to "make mistakes" https://t.co/cqiFPziHtO pic.twitter.com/EdNVyHfy8p — This Week (@ThisWeekABC) January 19, 2020

"I didn't say it was OK. People do things. Things happen," Shelby responded, noting that the president is "human" and that he's going to make "mistakes of judgement." He argued that both Republican and Democratic presidents made similar mistakes in the past.

ADVERTISEMENT

The House in December voted to impeach Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, making him just the third president in U.S. history to face Senate removal. The vote followed an inquiry into allegations that Trump used nearly $400 million in military aid as a source of leverage in his push to get Ukraine to announce investigations into his political rivals.

Republicans in the House and Senate have roundly condemned the charges brought against Trump, though some have spoken out about Trump's infamous July 25 phone call with Zelensky. In early October, Rep. Mac Thornberry William (Mac) McClellan ThornberryTrump payroll-tax deferral for federal workers sparks backlash Overnight Defense: Woodward book causes new firestorm | Book says Trump lashed out at generals, told Woodward about secret weapons system | US withdrawing thousands of troops from Iraq Top Armed Services Republican 'dismayed' at Trump comments on military leaders MORE (Texas), the top Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, said that Trump's call with Zelensky was "inappropriate" but not impeachable.

Echoing Trump's legal team's defense, Shelby said on ABC that the president's conduct did not meet the standard for impeachment. But he also noted that the Senate should "wait and see what comes out in the trial itself."

House Democrats on Saturday released a 111-page brief outlining their case to impeach Trump. The filing argues that Trump's conduct was the “the Framers' worst nightmare” and that he should be removed from office.