Trump, Capitol riot rupture S.D.’s House delegation

For years, the San Diego congressional delegation had a reputation for putting partisan politics aside when it came to local matters.

The five members were frequently unified in their attempts to advance projects and bring home federal dollars for the good of the region, whether it was enhancing ports of entry in San Ysidro and Otay Mesa, seeking solutions to the persistent pollution spilling across the border from Mexico, or expanding the trolley.

That comity now appears uncertain. Recent elections that shuff led the delegation’s lineup, challenges to Joe Biden’s presidential victory and the expected impeachment vote of President Donald Trump today may strain relationships.

At the center of it all is Rep. Darrell Issa, the delegation’s lone Republican. After the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters, Issa voted with more than 100 other House Republicans against certifying the presidential election results in Pennsylvania and Arizona. On Twitter, he maintained that decisions to extend the deadlines for counting ballots (Pennsylvania) and to register to vote (Arizona) were unconstitutional. Courts upheld extensions in both states.

Those Republican votes were coordinated with Trump’s push to overturn Biden’s victory, which relied on baseless claims of widespread voter fraud. That culminated weeks of efforts by GOP members of Congress to paint the election as illegitimate, which helped fuel demonstrations nationwide and the assault on the Capitol that was aimed at stopping the Electoral College vote certification.

For his part, Issa has condemned the violence and said those who committed crimes must be held accountable. In making those comments, he also repeatedly pivoted to chastise people on the political left for not speaking out about the violence at some Black Lives Matters rallies over the summer.

The four San Diego-area Democrats — Sara Jacobs, Mike Levin, Scott Peters and Juan Vargas — planned to vote Tuesday for the resolution urging Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment that, if approved by a majority of Trump’s Cabinet, would immediately remove him from office. They are expected to vote for his impeachment as early as today. Issa will not.

Over the weekend, Vargas called Trump a “clear and present danger.”