Colorado Representatives Ken Buck And Joe Neguse Debate Impeachment Articles
WASHINGTON, D.C. (CBS4/CNN) -- Two lawmakers from Colorado are playing a pivotal role as a House panel debates the articles of impeachment of President Donald Trump. Republican Ken Buck and Democrat Joe Neguse are on the House Judiciary Committee and spoke during the impeachment proceedings on Thursday.
The committee debate follows the Democratic introduction of two articles of impeachment against the president, charging him with abuse of power for pressuring Ukraine to investigate his political rivals while withholding US security aid and a White House meeting, and obstruction of Congress for refusing to cooperate in any manner with the impeachment inquiry into his conduct.
Lawmakers sparred at length over an amendment to remove the entire first article, charging Trump with abuse of power, from the impeachment resolution.
Buck and Neguse debated the charge of obstruction.
"I am baffled, and the more I think about it the more I'm baffled. In Colorado we have a different term for that. We call it a campaign promise," Buck stated. "You see, when Congress has a 14% approval rating, it's somewhere between being as popular as shingles and an all-expenses paid trip to North Korea."
"Obstruction of Congress means, to Coloradans, the same thing that it does to everyone else in this country," Neguse countered. "It means, the defiance of lawfully issued subpoenas by the United States House of Representatives. It means impeding the ability of the United States House of Representatives to perform its Constitutional duty."
If the charges pass out of the committee, they'll face a full House vote -- likely next week.
(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. CNN contributed to this report.)
