Joyce casts vote against impeachment of president

U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce, RBainbridge Township, voted against the impeachment of President Donald Trump Jan. 13.

Trump was impeached for a second time, charged with “incitement of insurrection” after a mob of his supporters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6.

In a statement following his vote, Joyce said he condemns “that assault and the injury, destruction and death it caused with every fiber of my being.” He said he wants “each and every person responsible held accountable and brought to justice.

“The pursuit of justice begins with thorough investigations by law enforcement and legal authorities, not the United States Congress,” Joyce said in a statement. Whomever these investigations determine responsible should face charges to the fullest extent of the law and, subsequently, face the consequences of their unacceptable actions.

“I look forward to these investigations into the President, several of my fellow colleagues on both sides of the aisle, and those who physically participated in the chaos. However, I do not believe that voting in favor of impeachment today would have furthered this pursuit of justice. Simply put, there is not enough time to investigate, try and convict the President in the people’s house before he leaves office. That timeline should not bar judgement in the true courts of law.

Joyce also said, “as we learned last week, political gamesmanship has consequences.”

“While I stand willing, ready and able to risk my political career and my life for a process that would truly hold people accountable, I refuse to further endanger the lives of my colleagues, my staff, and my family for something that will amount to nothing more than a symbolic gesture,” he said.

Joyce also said he’s calling upon his colleagues “Republicans and Democrats, to be better.”

“What does it say about the motivations of Congress that it took us eight months to provide additional relief for those struggling with the ongoing pandemic, but only a week to impeach the President?”

Ten Republican representatives voted to impeach Trump, including one Ohio Republican, Rep. Anthony Gonzalez of Rocky River.

All Democratic representatives voted to impeach Trump, including Rep. Marcia Fudge, D-Warrensville Heights. Fudge is incoming President Joe Biden’s nominee for Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

Fudge said in a tweet following her vote, “The president attempted to overturn the results of a free and fair election and incited violence against his own government. Upholding my oath to support and defend the Constitution, I just voted to impeach the president.”

Joyce