'Huge mistake' for Republican leadership to go along with Trump impeachment: Sen. Rand Paul

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Impeaching President Trump would be a 'huge mistake' for the Republican Party: Sen. Rand Paul

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., discusses impeachment efforts, reflects on Trump’s legacy on ‘America’s Newsroom.’

Impeaching former President Donald Trump would be a "huge mistake" and would "destroy" the Republican Party, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said on Wednesday.

"My fear is that if Republicans, particularly Republican leadership goes along with this impeachment, they’ll destroy the party," Paul told "America's Newsroom."

"I think it is a hugely partisan exercise on the part of the Democrats. But for Republicans who go along with it, I think they will destroy our party. Donald Trump isn’t everything in the party but he did bring a lot of people to the party," Paul said.

Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives for the second time in his presidency last week on an article of inciting an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on the House floor before the vote on impeachment that Trump "must go" and that he is "a clear and present danger," but remarks from her colleagues indicate they are concerned about what they view as a potential future threat. Trump is now out of office, making the idea of removing him moot, but opponents are eager to disqualify him from any future run.

"One of the other purposes of impeachment, in this case, is to make sure that President Trump is not able to run for federal office again, that he’s not able to seek the presidency," Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, told ABC's "This Week" on Sunday.

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Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., told CNN's "State of the Union" that the Constitution "talks about conviction, removal, and disqualification from holding further public office." Both Raskin and Castro are House impeachment managers.

Fox News' Ronn Blitzer contributed to this report.