Mass. GOP split, Dems seek ‘urgency’ in Senate
Massachusetts Republicans were split on President Trump’s second impeachment as Democrats called on the U.S. Senate to act with “urgency” in taking up his trial.
“The House has carried out our solemn duty to impeach him,” U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley said in a statement. “Now our colleagues in the Senate must act with the urgency this moment demands to convict and remove him and bar him from seeking elected office ever again.”
All nine Massachusetts representatives in the House joined their Democratic colleagues and 10 Republicans in voting to impeach Trump for “incitement of insurrection.”
U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton praised the Republicans who broke rank with Trump for their “courage” shortly after noting in his floor speech, “There are more troops right now in Washington, D.C., than in Afghanistan. And they are here to defend us against the commander in chief.”
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren urged her colleagues to make Trump “the first president to be convicted by the Senate” after being impeached by the House.
GOP Gov. Charlie Baker, who did not vote for Trump in either of his presidential bids, said prior to the House vote that he supported impeachment.
But Massachusetts GOP Vice Chairman Tom Mountain blasted the Democrats he said have been trying to remove Trump from office from the start.
“They think they’ve succeeded with knocking Trump down and humiliating him — all they’ve done is reveal themselves to the American people as the vindictive, petty tyrants that they are,” Mountain said.
State Rep. Shawn Dooley, R-Norfolk, said that while he can “appreciate” those who “feel that this is necessary, I think it adds to the divisiveness. I don’t understand the purpose of trying to remove him from office days before he leaves.”
Former Trump surrogate and Bostonian Lou Murray said the “snap impeachment” would only “strengthen Trump” and “embolden” the roughly 74 million people who voted for him in the November presidential election.