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Hampton Roads, North Carolina representatives respond to impeachment vote

Local representatives are responding the the House's vote to impeach President Donald Trump.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump became the third President in United States history to be impeached.

The House of Representatives approved both articles of impeachment Wednesday night.

Of the 435 seats in the House of Representatives, four are vacant, which means there were 431 representatives to vote on the articles. There are 233 democratic representatives, 197 Republicans and one Independent. On Wednesday night, one Democratic representative and two Republican representatives were not present to vote.

The first article of impeachment, Abuse of Power, was passed by a vote of 230-197-1. All but one of the 230 votes for the first article came from Democrats, the one vote that wasn't from a Democrat was the Independent representative. Two Democrats voted against the first article with 195 Republican representatives. The one representative to abstain from a vote was a Democratic Representative.

The second article of impeachment, Obstruction of Congress, was passed by a 229-198-1 vote. A Democratic representative was the lone abstaining vote. The only difference in this vote was three Democratic representatives voted against it instead of just two like on the prior article.

Representative Donald A. McEachin (D-VA 04) said in a statement: 

"Today is a somber day in our nation’s history. I am saddened that the president’s actions and disregard for our Constitution has led us to this place and time. However, I take very seriously my oath and sacred obligation to uphold the Constitution, and to hold the president accountable for his actions.

The president has violated his oath of office and with his actions, demonstrated complete disregard and disdain for our Constitution. President Trump abused the power of his office to solicit foreign interference in the 2020 presidential election for personal and political gain, and by doing so, risked the national security of the United States.

Then, when faced by a legitimate Congressional inquiry into his actions, President Trump chose to stonewall that inquiry, refuse to cooperate, and instead, mock its legitimacy. If we value our democracy and our Constitution, then we cannot ignore nor justify President Trump’s actions.

I came to Congress to make a difference for my constituents and to improve their lives. I did not come to impeach a president. Today’s decision is not just about holding this president accountable for his abuses of power; it is about restoring integrity and honor to the office of the presidency, and ensuring that any future president, regardless of political party, is held to the standard every American expects and deserves. Thus, I cast my vote to impeach President Trump."

On Twitter, Representative Elaine Luria (D-VA 02) said:

"Tonight, I voted for impeachment. Because both in the Navy and in Congress, I swore an oath to protect our Constitution. It is our job to hold President Trump accountable for abusing the power of his office. Our democracy is more important than politics. 

Voting to impeach President Trump was not a decision I took lightly, but I came to Congress to do what’s right. My values demanded that I protect the integrity of our democracy after Trump risked national security to put his personal interests above the good of our country."

In a statement, Representative G.K. Butterfield (D-NC 01) said:

"The Framers of the Constitution had the wisdom and foresight to give Congress the ability to protect our democracy against Presidential misconduct through the process of Impeachment. They knew Presidents could be corrupt or abusive with their power, so they wrote Impeachment into our organic law. They prepared us for today and gave us the tools needed to hold President Trump accountable for placing his own personal and political interests above the interests of the American people.

Since taking office nearly three years ago, President Donald J. Trump has consistently and intentionally divided this country. President Trump has repeatedly solicited foreign interference into our elections. In the case of Ukraine, he attempted to condition military aid and a White House meeting with the President of Ukraine in exchange for the announcement of investigations that would benefit President Trump’s reelection. When Congress is presented with evidence such as this, blatantly undermining our elections and putting the security of the American people at risk, it is our Constitutional duty to act. No one is above the law—not even the President.

President Trump put himself before the country and violated his oath of office. The oath I took is clear— I have sworn to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Based on the evidence before us, I voted in favor of both Articles of Impeachment against Donald J. Trump. No one is above the law."

North Carolina Republican Senator Thom Tillis said:

"Democrats have been trying to impeach President Trump since the moment he took office, and they have made it clear they are more interested in playing politics and further dividing our country than carrying out the business of the American people. Democrats have pushed this bitterly partisan impeachment effort instead of focusing on the issues North Carolinians actually care about like growing our economy, supporting our military, passing free and fair trade deals, and securing our border.

House Democrats ran this blatantly partisan impeachment process like a kangaroo court, presuming the President was guilty and shamefully denying the President and the minority basic due process rights. In spite of the lack of evidence they gathered and the facts not being on their side, they still voted to impeach the President to pander to their fringe base. 

Once the Senate trial begins, President Trump will finally be treated fairly and presumed innocent until proven guilty. The Democrats’ attempt to use impeachment as a weapon to settle political scores will not be allowed to become the new normal."

Representative Rob Wittman (R-VA 01) said on Twitter:

"Following the release of reports from the Oversight, Intelligence, Foreign Affairs, and Judiciary Committees, it is clear the hearings held by House Democrats over the last month have by no means proved President Trump committed an impeachable offense. 

Democrats have been working to build a case for impeachment the day President Donald Trump took office. Speaker Nancy Pelosi said from the beginning that the impeachment must be ‘compelling, overwhelming, and bipartisan;’ today, none of those are true. The one thing bipartisan about this: the opposition.

I hope in the beginning of the next session we can get back to the real issues – finding a bipartisan solution to lowering the price of prescription drugs, creating an infrastructure package, reforming our broken budget process, and expanding access to broadband in rural areas."

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