DES MOINES, Iowa – Iowa’s members of the U.S. House of Representatives divided along partisan lines in their opinion of President Donald Trump’s potential impeachment with less than two weeks to go in his term.
Democrats and some Republicans have floated the idea of impeachment after some protestors who attended a pro-Trump rally outside the Capitol breached the U.S. Capitol Building disrupting the congressional certification of the Electoral College vote on Wednesday and the evacuation of members of the House and Senate. Five people have died due to the riot, including one protestor shot and killed by Capitol Police, and a Capitol Police officer died after sustaining injuries during the breach. Capitol Police said three protestors died as a result of medical emergencies but have not released additional information.
President Donald Trump spoke to the protestors shortly before the breach, and critics say he was slow to react to the violence. President Trump on Thursday officially conceded and promised an orderly and peaceful transition.
Republican Congresswoman Ashley Hinson, who represents Iowa’s 1st Congressional District, said she opposed impeachment.
“If the House tries to impeach President Trump over the next two weeks, I will oppose this effort. We don’t need any further division right now. As President Trump said last night, he is fully supporting the peaceful transition of power to President-Elect Joe Biden,” she said in a released statement.
Hinson said she would continue to champion his policies even though he will leave office, “Even though President Trump will no longer be in office, I’m never going to stop advocating for the policies he championed. From cutting taxes, to installing a record number of conservative justices, defending the unborn, and rolling back harmful regulations — President Trump has done a lot for hardworking Americans. I am committed to continuing to fight for conservative priorities that matter to Iowans.”
“As I promised Iowans, I will work with anyone to get things done and fix problems for my constituents. I will also work to hold the Biden Administration accountable and protect your taxpayer dollars as I fight to clean up the mess in Washington and deliver results for Iowans,” Hinson added.
Republican Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks, who represents Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District, said she also opposes the effort through a spokesperson.
“With President Trump’s public concession and commitment to an orderly transition of power, Representative Miller-Meeks believes that impeaching the president with only a few days left in his term would only further divide the American people and make it harder for President-Elect Joe Biden to unite the country. The people of Iowa sent Representative Miller-Meeks to Congress to work on health care reform, lower the cost of prescription drugs, help end this pandemic, and get Iowans safely back to work. That will remain her focus,” Austin Harris, Miller-Meeks’ spokesman, told The Iowa Torch.
Democrat Congresswoman Cindy Axne, who represents Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District, supports impeachment. On Thursday she called for the president’s cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove him from office. She said the president’s actions and rhetoric pose a grave threat to our nation’s citizens and democracy.
“As the Vice President has reportedly declined to explore this remedy, and Cabinet secretaries have resigned rather than stand up to this President, the only Constitutional option left to protect our nation is for the United States Congress to approve articles of impeachment,” Axne said.
“I do not make this decision lightly, but President Trump has the blood of five Americans – including one Capitol Police officer – on his hands. On Sunday, I swore to uphold the Constitution and protect our nation from enemies foreign and domestic. A President who incites an attack on the seat of our government is a threat that cannot be tolerated for even one more day,” she added.
Republican Congressman Randy Feenstra, who represents Iowa’s 4th Congressional District, said he opposes the effort to impeach President Trump.
“We are at a critical point in time in our nation’s history — a time where both parties need to come together for the good of the American people. Any effort by the House to impeach President Trump will only deepen divisions, and I will strongly oppose any attempt to remove the president from office before the end of his term,” he said in a released statement.
“Moving forward, Congress should be focused on addressing the many serious issues facing our nation and avoid divisive political acts in the waning days of the Administration. My main priority will always be delivering results for the people of Iowa’s 4th District by giving farmers, small business owners, and families a seat at the table,” Feenstra added.
In December 2019, the U.S. House of Representatives impeached Trump on three impeachment articles, but the U.S. Senate did not vote to convict. The House can impeach the president with a majority vote, but convicting the president and his subsequent removal from office requires a two-thirds majority.
U.S. Reps. David Cicilline, D-R.I., Ted Lieu, D-Calif., and Jamie Raskin, D-Md., are leading the effort to pass impeachment articles against President Trump.
NEW: I am circulating Articles of Impeachment that @RepTedLieu, @RepRaskin and I have prepared to remove the President from office following yesterday's attack on the U.S. Capitol. pic.twitter.com/b92GL9Ap33
— David Cicilline (@davidcicilline) January 7, 2021
