Colorado Representatives Vote Party Line, Trump Becomes 1st President To Be Impeached Twice
DENVER (CBS4)- Colorado's elected members of the House of Representatives voted along party lines during Wednesday's vote to impeach President Trump for incitement of insurrection. A total of 10 Republicans supported the resolution, along with all of the Democrats.
Trump is now the first president in U.S. history to be impeached twice. The final vote was 232 to 197, with 10 Republicans joining all 222 Democrats in supporting a single article of impeachment charging the president with "incitement of insurrection."
This comes one week after the violent protests that turned deadly where people stormed the Capitol Building during Congress election certification of Pres.-elect Joe Biden.
All of the Democrats representing Colorado in the House voted in favor of impeachment, while all of the Republicans opposed the resolution. That includes Democrats Rep. Diana DeGette, Rep. Joe Neguse, Rep. Jason Crow and Rep. Ed Perlmutter and Republicans Rep. Lauren Boebert, Rep. Ken Buck, and Rep. Doug Lamborn.
DeGette, who will serve as one of the nine impeachment managers that will present the House's case against the president in the Senate, released this statement: "President Trump's actions that incited a violent mob of his supporters to attack the United States Congress, in an attempt to prevent us from certifying the results of the election for his opponent, are inexcusable. He, and his accomplices, must be held fully accountable.
"No one is above the law in this country, not even the president. I am honored that Speaker Pelosi has asked me to help defend our Democracy by presenting our case against President Trump in the Senate. I can think of no greater responsibility than that of defending our Constitution by holding President Trump fully accountable for inciting an insurrection against our government."
Before the vote, Buck tweeted his statement: "I will not vote to again impeach the President. Pelosi gave members just 2 hours of debate to discuss these articles. There were no testimonies under oath, witnesses, sober deliberation, or regular processes. This rushed impeachment undermines the Constitution."
Perlmutter released this statement: "Even with only seven days left of the Trump presidency, we must always ensure our President will preserve, protect and defend the U.S. Constitution, as is required of the oath of office. President Trump has shown he will not and cannot be trusted to uphold his oath. He has damaged the Constitution and damaged America. Each and every one of us has a responsibility to reduce the continued threats of violence on fellow Americans and ensure the government can transition peacefully. Thus I solemnly vote once again to impeach Donald Trump."
"Last week I stood in that gallery to defend this chamber against the violent mob called here by Donald Trump. I have dedicated my life to the defense of our nation, and Donald Trump is a risk to all that I love. Some of my Republican colleagues are afraid of the consequences of an impeachment vote. But this Congress sends our young men and women to war everyday. I'm not asking you to storm the beaches of Normandy, but only show a fraction of the courage we ask of our troops everyday.
Leadership is hard. It's time to impeach," said Crow during the impeachment hearings.
Lamborn released this statement, "This procedural vote by Speaker Pelosi will do nothing but further divide the country. As we approach a peaceful transition of power next week, it is imperative that we unite the country and prove we can move past our political differences. Speaker Pelosi must stand up to her left-wing Democratic base, who hate President Trump and conservatives. The 25th Amendment should never be used as a political tool based on animosity for any President. Democrats cannot continue to abuse our constitutional processes. I hope that we can move forward together as a nation."
Boebert said she would vote against impeaching Trump on Wednesday, in part, "Glory to God. Madam Speaker, I rise today to oppose this impeachment and denounce the recent violence on the Capitol, just as I oppose the previous impeachment.
"And the violence we've all witnessed all summer long across our great country. Make no mistake here, the hypocrisy of the left is on full display."
Boebert released this statement, "Impeachment isn't a tool that should be used to virtue signal. But that's exactly what occurred this week. Democrat hypocrisy was on full display with their article of impeachment, censure bills, an unconstitutional 25th Amendment removal attempt, and other attacks to try and punish Republicans for false accusations of inciting the type of violence Democrats have so frequently and transparently supported in the past.
"I voted against today's article of impeachment and yesterday's 25th Amendment coup, because these impeachment attempts were not exercised appropriately and because more partisan charades are not what our country needs right now. Rather than supporting these made-for-tv exercises, I urged the House to focus on reopening our economy and supporting America's small businesses and working families."
The article of impeachment will soon head to the Senate, where lawmakers must hold a trial on whether to convict Mr. Trump and remove him from office. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Wednesday he has not made a decision on whether he will vote to convict the president at trial.
With just seven days left in Mr. Trump's term, the Senate trial could potentially stretch into the term of his successor. If that happens, the Senate could still choose to convict Mr. Trump and bar him from holding any federal office in the future. A vote to convict requires a vote of two-thirds of the Senate.
The White House released a 5-minute video of Trump condemning violence and staying that his followers follow the rule of law.
