BALTIMORE — On Wednesday, President Donald Trump became the third president to be impeached by the House as Democrats approved the first of two articles of impeachment against Trump.
Following the impeachment, multiple Maryland representatives reacted to the news.
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen:
"Today is a somber day for our nation and for the Congress. Now that the House has completed its constitutional duty, impeachment will move to the Senate. As we go forward, it’s up to the American people to demand a fair trial. Republican Leader Mitch McConnell’s conduct is already extremely troubling and anything but impartial. He has publicly expressed his plan to work in lockstep with the President during the trial and has rejected reasonable requests to allow key fact witnesses to testify. In short, he wants to rig the trial. I hope my other Republican colleagues will agree that we have a duty to get all the facts and do justice. If President Trump and Senate Republicans have nothing to hide, they should have nothing to fear."
“Through their hearings and witness-sworn testimonies, I believe the House has presented overwhelming evidence in support of the case for impeachment, but — unlike the Senate Republican leader — I welcome additional evidence, including any exculpatory evidence the President wants to produce. I will listen to and fairly weigh any such evidence before rendering a final verdict. That is what a trial is all about. That is our obligation under the Constitution. The American people deserve nothing less.”
Congressman David Thorne:
“The facts are clear. Witness testimony and other evidence show that the President asked a foreign power to intervene on his behalf in our election process. In doing so, he put his own personal political ambition before the common good of the country, our people, and the Constitution. He obstructed Congress’ legitimate oversight by refusing to comply with subpoenas and directing others not to cooperate with these investigations.“
After careful review and keeping the oath I took to protect and defend the Constitution in mind, today I voted in favor of both articles of impeachment against the President of the United States. This is a sad day for our country, but we must continue moving forward to create a better future for our children. This week, we passed a bipartisan spending bill that increased pay for federal workers by 3.1%, invested $41.7 billion in the NIH for life-saving medical research to find a cure for diseases like Alzheimer’s, and dedicated historic funding to fight the opioid epidemic. As we move forward, I will continue to work on behalf of Maryland’s 6th District in Washington.”
Democracy Reform Task Force Chair Rep. John Sarbanes:
“Today, I voted to impeach President Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. This was a weighty decision. Impeachment is not something you reach for. It is something you are brought to – reluctantly – when the evidence presented can no longer be denied. In this grave and historic moment, members of Congress were called upon to uphold our oath of office and our duty to the Constitution, and we answered that call.”
Rep. Andy Harris:
“Today was a sad day for our republic and for our Constitution. Congress passed the articles of impeachment on a purely partisan vote by Democrats – with no support from any Republicans and, in fact, opposition from some fair-minded Democrats. This proves that this sham impeachment was a politically motivated attempt to remove President Trump from office despite the votes of 63 million Americans in the last election. When the President was elected, radical liberals immediately objected to his election and referred to themselves as “the resistance.” Then they claimed the President colluded with Russia – until the Mueller report definitively ended that charade. Now they claimed he abused power by rightfully trying to investigate potential corruption involving over a million dollars in payments made to Hunter Biden, and blatant attempts by the previous Ukrainian government to influence our 2016 election.
As to the actual articles of impeachment, as Professor Turley testified two weeks ago, the only abuse of power is by the radical Democrat House majority, which made a mockery of impeachment by proceeding without substantial evidence. As to obstruction of Congress, all Presidents have claimed executive privilege, and even President Obama’s own Attorney General Eric Holder refused to answer House subpoenas during the Fast and Furious investigation that he claimed infringed on executive privilege. Since Speaker Pelosi couldn’t even get all her House Democrats to vote for impeachment, much less any Republicans, it is clear that the Senate will, and should, vote against conviction.
This means the entire impeachment hoax was a waste of time that distracted Congress from getting real work done for the American people – fighting the opioid crisis, lowering prescription drug costs, making health care more affordable, securing our borders, and keeping our booming economy going. Democrats failed to make their impeachment case, and fewer Americans support impeachment now than before Adam Schiff held his one-sided, secret Soviet-style impeachment inquiry. The American people aren’t fooled so easily.”
