The Wisconsin congressional delegation continued to split along party lines after House Dems unveiled two articles of impeachment against President Trump.
Kind, who has previously been reticent to indicate how he will vote if impeachment moves to the House floor, told WisPolitics.com on Tuesday he hasn’t yet looked at the articles of impeachment “as they’ve been written.” But he added, “actively soliciting a foreign government to interfere in our electoral process is way out of bounds and it can’t be tolerated.”
That language tracks closely with the first article, which charges Trump abused the power of his office when he “corruptly solicited the Government of Ukraine to publicly announce investigations into a political opponent.”
“In so doing, President Trump used the powers of the Presidency in a manner that compromised the national security of the United States and undermined the integrity of the United States democratic process,” the resolution says.
House Dems also accused Trump of committing “high crimes and misdemeanors” by directing “the unprecedented, categorical, and indiscriminate defiance of subpoenas” issued by House impeachment investigators. The move, Dems charge, constituted obstruction of Congress as Trump “assumed to himself functions and judgments necessary to the exercise of the ‘sole Power of Impeachment’ vested by the Constitution in the House of Representatives.”
But Sensenbrenner, a member of the House panel responsible for drafting the articles of impeachment, in a statement fired back that Dems’ “obsession with ousting the President made today an inevitability.”
“Despite the fact that they could find no bipartisan support–a criterion once set by both Speaker Pelosi and Chairman Nadler–they are pushing forward with this exercise that will further tear the country apart,” the Menomonee Falls Republican said. “Just as the Founders feared, divided governments will now almost certainly lead to partisan impeachments.”
Kind countered that GOP lawmakers would likely feel different if the White House was controlled by a Dem.
“I challenge my Republican colleagues: just substitute Barack Obama’s name for Donald Trump and would they feel the same way given the facts and the evidence that’s before them today?” he asked.
U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore, meanwhile, offered full-throated support of the move.
“Every President takes a sacred oath to protect the country and the interests of the American people,” the Milwaukee Dem said in a statement. “When Trump solicited a foreign government to investigate a political rival for personal and political gain, he violated his oath.
“I do not take these actions lightly, but President Trump has left Congress no choice but to move forward with articles of impeachment to uphold the Constitution and protect our democracy.”
See the Sensenbrenner statement:
https://www.wispolitics.com/2019/u-s-rep-sensenbrenner-statement-on-articles-of-impeachment/
See the Moore statement:
https://www.wispolitics.com/2019/u-s-rep-moore-statement-on-articles-of-impeachment/
