The Times Herald (Norristown, PA)
Toomey, Casey split on how they’ll vote on impeachment
HARRISBURG » Pennsylvania’s U.S. senators, Republican Pat Toomey and Democrat Bob Casey, split Tuesday on how they will vote on the two impeachment charges against President Donald Trump, falling in line with the members of their party who have said how they will vote.
Toomey said he will vote to acquit, maintaining that the president’s actions didn’t rise to the level of an impeachable offense and that removing Trump would cause “societal upheaval.” Casey said he will vote “yes” on both articles, saying in a speech on the Senate floor that House managers had met their burden of proof and that Trump will remain a threat to national security and the Constitution if allowed to remain in office.
Toomey and Casey revealed how they will vote in advance of Wednesday’s virtually certain Senate votes to acquit Trump.
Toomey’s announcement that he would vote to acquit came as no surprise, after voting against calling additional witnesses in the Senate and repeatedly saying
that he did not think Trump had committed an impeachable offense when he pushed Ukraine’s president in a July telephone conversation to “look into” Democratic rival Joe Biden.
In an editorial published in The Philadelphia Inquirer, Toomey said Trump’s actions were not “‘perfect. Some were inappropriate.”
But, Toomey said, he disagreed with the abuse of power charge, saying there are legitimate national interests for seeking investigations into apparent corruption. Toomey also disputed the obstruction of Congress charge, saying “a president’s defense of his legal and constitutional rights and responsibilities is not an impeachable offense.”
Toomey also said “societal upheaval that would result from his removal from office and the ballot months before an election. Our country is already far too divided, and this would only make matters worse.”
Casey said it was clear that Trump withheld military aid and a White House meeting from Ukraine for personal, political gain: an investigation of a political rival and a conspiracy theory about the 2016 election. He said it was also clear that Trump had solicited foreign interference in the 2020 election and further abused his power by repeatedly obstructing Congress’ investigation.