Two Washington Republicans vote to impeach President Trump for ‘inciting insurrection’

(The Center Square) — Two Washington Republicans crossed party lines to impeach President Donald Trump on Wednesday, just days after a violent mob of his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol building.

U.S. Reps. Jaime Herrera Beutler and Dan Newhouse of Washington state’s 3rd and 4th Congressional Districts, respectively, were among 10 GOP House members to approve Trump’s impeachment for “incitement of insurrection.”

The articles of impeachment, supported by some 200 cosponsors, accuse Trump of inciting the violent invasion of Congress through incendiary rhetoric on social media platforms such as Twitter, where he promoted the planned gathering.

Five people were reported killed in the invasion including a capitol police officer.

Many members of Congress tested positive for COVID-19 following the mostly mask-less event, including U.S. Reps. Pramila Jayapal, D-Washington, and Brad Schneider, D-Illinois.

By the final vote tally on Wednesday, 222 Democrats and 10 Republicans voted to impeach the outgoing president while 197 Republicans voted to not impeach him.

Four members of the House did not cast a vote on impeachment.

Herrera Beutler, who voted for funding Trump’s border wall and is a long-time opponent of abortion, represents Southwest Washington, which includes Clark, Cowlitz, and Thurston counties.

The Glendale, Calif. native has served since 2011 and voted against Trump’s first impeachment in 2020 related to his request to the president of Ukraine to investigate political rival President-elect Joe Biden.

In 2016, she endorsed Marco Rubio for president in the presidential primaries.

On Tuesday, Herrera Beutler said in a written statement her vote to impeach the president was for the greater good of her party.

“The President’s offenses, in my reading of the Constitution, were impeachable based on the indisputable evidence we already have,” Beutler said. “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. I see that my own party will be best served when those among us choose truth.”

Newhouse, who assumed office in 2015, represents Central Washington which includes the counties of Yakima, Adams, Franklin, and Grant.

In 2019, he voted against funding Trump’s border wall and requiring states to receive federal approval to adopt new voting practices.

He also voted against the U.S. House’s first impeachment of Trump in 2020.

On November 18, Newhouse announced in a tweet that he had tested positive for COVID-19.

In a written statement on Wednesday, Newhouse said Trump’s response to the U.S. Capitol violence warranted an impeachment.

“A vote against this impeachment is a vote to validate the unacceptable violence we witnessed in our nation’s capital,” Newhouse said. “It is also a vote to condone President Trump’s inaction. 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.”

In the U.S., impeachment carries no criminal charges and relates to government officials’ privileges of serving in office.

The two-part process of impeaching an American president sees the U.S. House of Representatives issue charges akin to an indictment in criminal court against the president.

If those charges are taken up and approved by the U.S. Senate, Congress may remove the president from office.

Under the U.S. Constitution, the House wields the “sole power of impeachment” while the Senate maintains the “sole power to try all impeachments.”

Trump is now the first U.S. president in history to be impeached twice while in office as well as the lone commander-in-chief to be impeached days before the end of his term.

Biden, who won 306 electoral college votes to Trump’s 232, will be sworn in as the 46th U.S. president on January 20.

The U.S. Constitution provides no criteria for what qualifies as an “impeachable offence” save for what one single line of text.

“The president, vice-president and all civil officers of the United States shall be removed from office on impeachment for, and conviction of, treason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanours,” the Constitution reads.

Trump was permanently banned from Twitter last week and other social media platforms on the grounds his tweets could produce more opportunities to “incite violence.”

State capitals around the country are bracing for a wave of armed occupations beginning on January 16, according to a widely reported FBI bulletin.

In past weeks, Oregon and Washington have both seen unrest leading up to their 2021 legislative sessions.

Last week, Trump announced that he will not be attending Biden’s inauguration.

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