DES MOINES, Iowa – U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, explained her opposition to the House of Representatives impeaching President Donald Trump for a second time.
“I oppose the effort. In my opinion, it was, number one, it was rushed. It only served to further divide our nation just a week out from the peaceful transition of power. So I voted no on that,” Hinson said on a press call on Friday morning.
Recapping her week, she highlighted her appointment to the House Appropriations Committee. She also noted that she has co-sponsored 22 pieces of legislation and mentioned three specific bills related to the Capitol riot on January 6.
“I joined a bill that would establish a bipartisan national commission to investigate the events at the U.S. Capitol last week. That’s similar to the commission established after 9/11. I think that this is the best way to get to the bottom of what happened to ensure it never happens again. On that note, as well, I co-sponsored a resolution honoring the Capitol Police for their efforts to keep us safe last week and a bill to award a particularly brave officer with the Congressional Gold Medal for taking on the mob himself outside the Senate chamber,” Hinson said.
“I think it’s very clear to me, judging by what I saw, we’ll never really know how bad it could have been without their heroism and what they did to protect us. So I am incredibly grateful for their response,” she added.
Hinson noted later that the violence was unacceptable and those involved in the violence at the Capitol should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Hinson also pointed out that she co-sponsored legislation that would strip Section 230 liability protections away from Big Tech if they don’t adhere to the spirit of the First Amendment in their moderation practices.
Later she was asked why she did not support impeachment when she believed that the president was culpable.
Hinson said words matter.
“And that’s where I think that there is culpability,” she said. “But I thought impeachment was the wrong path forward for that, because, well, there are several reasons. Number one, Speaker Pelosi bypassed regular order, including the process of going through collecting evidence. We didn’t have a single committee hearing on it. We didn’t have any of the preliminary votes that typically are involved in this process. So it was done in a rush job toward a second impeachment of the president, and the president did commit to a peaceful transition of power. We’re, at this point, less than a week out from the new administration. I’m attending the inauguration next week. This impeachment, from my perspective, not only did it violate that due process, regular order, but it just fanned the flames right now. And I’ve said; this is not the kind of leadership we need right now. It further divided our nation,” she explained.
The Iowa Torch asked Hinson whether she would have supported censure.
“I haven’t seen any language for it. I think at this point; the president realizes he’d been culpable for his actions. We’re seeing, you know, Cabinet Secretaries resigned. So at this point, I, I can’t tell you if I would have or not. But I would look at the language like everything else. I did the same with impeachment. I did the same with all of the motions that came to the floor this week,” she answered.
Listen to the full press call:
