These Washington State Republicans voted to impeach President Donald Trump
Two Republican members of Congress from Washington State broke with the majority of the GOP on Wednesday and voted to impeach President Donald Trump over his role in inciting the mob that overran the U.S. Capitol last week.
Washington Reps. Jamie Herrera Beutler, R-Vancouver, Dan Newhouse, R-Yakima, supported impeachment. They were among 10 Republicans who joined 222 Democrats in calling for the president’s removal from office.
Of Washington State Republicans, only Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Spokane, voted against impeachment.
All seven Washington State Democrats supported impeachment.
The House impeachment articles say Trump is unfit for office because he “encouraged ... lawless action.” The lawless action refers to the the pro-Trump mob that stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 as Congress met to certify the election of President-elect Joe Biden. At least five people have died as a direct result of the invasion, including one Capitol Police officer.
The impeachment articles cite Trump’s comments to encourage the rioters, including by telling them: “If you don’t fight like hell you’re not going to have a country anymore.” The articles also say Trump encouraged the riot with his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
The Senate is unlikely to take up the impeachment articles before Trump leaves office. But if the Senate votes to remove Trump, it also could also vote to bar him from running in future elections.
Newhouse said in a statement Wednesday that the mob “was inflamed by the language and misinformation of the president of the United States.”
“A vote against this impeachment is a vote to validate the unacceptable violence we witnessed in our nation’s capital. It is also a vote to condone President Trump’s inaction,” Newhouse said. “He did not strongly condemn the attack nor did he call in reinforcements when our officers were overwhelmed. Our country needed a leader, and President Trump failed to fulfill his oath of office.”
Herrera Beutler was one of the first Republicans to publicly support impeachment, making her statement Tuesday. She also took on the criticisms of some of her fellow Republicans that voting for impeachment right now would only further divide the country.
“I understand the argument that the best course is not to further inflame the country or alienate Republican voters. But I am also a Republican voter,” Herrera Beutler said. “I believe in our Constitution, individual liberty, free markets, charity, life, justice, peace and this exceptional country. I see that my own party will be best served when those among us choose truth.”
McMorris Rodgers in a statement after the vote said she believed Trump’s words were protected by the Constitution. She also said she believed House Democrats rushed the process by not holding committee hearings before voting to impeach the president.
“I do not believe his words constitute an incitement of violence as laid out in Supreme Court precedent,” McMorris Rodgers said in a Facebook post after the vote.
This story was originally published January 13, 2021 at 1:39 PM with the headline "These Washington State Republicans voted to impeach President Donald Trump."
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