NM delegation follows through
Resolution lays groundwork for formal Trump inquiry
All three of state’s representatives vote for impeachment resolution, as they had promised in previous statements.
The three members of the New Mexico delegation in the U.S. House voted Thursday in favor of a resolution laying the ground rules for the impeachment inquiry into the actions of President Donald Trump.
The resolution passed 232-196 with only two Democrats breaking ranks. No Republicans voted for the measure. It is the first formal vote on the process.
U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., told the Journal earlier this week the resolution would clarify the process.
“President Trump endangered our national security, undermined our elections, and abused his power — all for his own political gain,” the congressman said before the vote. “He must be held accountable — and that’s exactly what the House must do.”
Luján and U.S. Rep. Deb Haaland, also a Democrat, came out in favor of the inquiry in August. Their Democratic colleague Xochitl Torres Small endorsed the process in October.
“This President has betrayed his oath of office,” Haaland said in a release after the vote. “We have the responsibility to uphold our Constitution and ensure that no one, not even the president, is above the law, but President Trump and his Administration have obstructed this investigation at every turn. I cannot stand by while this President continues to abuse his office to enrich himself and his friends while New Mexicans are struggling to get by and puts his political interests ahead of our country.”
The resolution provides rules for the format of open hearings in the House Intelligence Committee, including staff-led questioning of witnesses, and it authorizes the public release of deposition transcripts. The resolution also establishes procedures for the transfer of evidence to the Judiciary Committee as it considers potential articles of impeachment, and it sets forth due process rights for the president and his counsel in the Judiciary Committee proceedings.
“I came to Congress to address the challenges facing southern New Mexicans — out of control drug prices, health care accessibility, a crumbling infrastructure, and a broken border security and immigration system,” Torres Small said. “I remain focused every day on tackling those challenges with bipartisan solutions. To do that work, I must also constantly act to support and defend the Constitution. Today’s vote does just that by laying out a transparent, bipartisan process focused on finding the facts and determining the truth.”
New Mexico Republican Party Chairman Steve Pearce voiced concerns that the approved rules didn’t allow for due process and said “this won’t get through the Senate.”
“Since before the President was nominated, the Democrats have been spending their time on how to impeach him,” the former congressman said. “First it was the Russian hoax, and their tactics continued. Then it was the bad testimony of Robert Mueller that led them to pivot to this impeachment sham. This attack on the President is like a Soviet-style secret process.”
And Trump Victory regional spokeswoman Samantha Zager claims the resolution “is deeply flawed and gives Democrats on the Intelligence Committee — led by Adam Schiff — ultimate power, breaking with precedent.”
Her organization has been targeting Torres Small about the impeachment issue in recent weeks with small “Stop the Madness” rallies in Belen and Socorro. The rally in Socorro was held outside a town hall hosted by Torres Small.
The race for Torres Small’s seat — the 2nd Congressional District in the southern part of the state — is expected to be one of the most-watched, most competitive in the country in 2020, according Brian Sanderoff, president of Albuquerque-based Research & Polling Inc. And the congresswoman’s potential Republican rivals — Roswell oil and gas executive Claire Chase, former state Rep. Yvette Herrell and Las Cruces businessman Chris Mathys — issued statements condemning Torres Small for her vote.