Pols plot next steps in impeachment drama
Leaders on both sides of the political aisle in Delaware County say the impeachment proceedings and where they are positioned today - will more than likely galvanize their respective bases, although the months ahead may reveal more as the U.S. Senate prepares to enter the fray.
On Thursday, President Donald Trump became the third president in the country’s history to become impeached, mostly along party lines, for charges of abuse of power for enlisting Ukraine to investigate political rival Joe Biden ahead of the 2020 election and of obstruction of justice. The matter now goes before the Senate for trial.
In Delaware County, life continued as normal and party leaders said time will tell how this impacts the region.
“I think it will likely encourage voter turnout,” Delaware County Democratic Committee Chair Colleen Guiney said. “There will be some voters who will be disgusted and walk away. In general, people will be more aware and more involved.”
In talking about how the process is not complete, she said, “It’s not done yet. There’s 11 months between now and the next election and a lot is going to change between now and then.”
Delaware County Republican Party Chairman Thomas McGarrigle shared what others were saying to him.
“Talking to people today at my gas station, the people who are behind Trump are more behind Trump,” he said. “Then, you have the people who have never liked him to begin with.”
With that in mind, McGarrigle added, “I don’t think it’s going to change anyone’s mind. People are where they are at. We’ll wait to see what happens in the Senate.”
Andrew Reilly, chairman of the Southeast Pennsylvania Republican Caucus who cast an Electoral College vote for the president, outlined his view.
“Democrats in the U.S. House are attempting to weaken a president with home they disagree and do not like,” he said. “People watching this process understand that there is no underlying crime committed by the president, let alone a high crime or misdemeanor.”
He criticized the integrity of what unfolded and had little impact on those not connected to the Beltway.
“The process in the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives that did not permit Republican members to call witnesses was inherently unfair,” Reilly added. “While partisan political watchers will cheer the process, regular people realize it is more Washington, D.C., politics and will focus on their Christmas shopping and their families over the next weeks.”
One resident of Havertown offered questions of his own.
“It appears to me the one charge of investigating the Bidens is questionable for this reason - the president of the United States is checking on two U.S. citizens, one who happened to be a former (vice president) whose actions are possibly illegal,” Ted Anderson said.
Then, he asked, “Why was Hunter Biden on Air Force 2 with his father and what reason did Joe Biden have for taking Air Force 2 to the Ukraine and then to China with Hunter aboard for the second time? Were these flights for government business or were they just to enrich Hunter Biden?
“I’m sure,” Anderson continued, “all flights for
Air Force 1 and 2 are preplanned (with) an itinerary in place and a flight log had to be a normal policy indicating where the flights are going to and for what reason.”
Both of Pennsylvania’s senators also offered their viewpoints and look at the process to come.
“Today marks the culmination of a highly partisan process that achieved a longstanding goal of many House Democrats: impeaching President Trump,” U.S. Sen. Patrick Toomey, R-Pa., said. “It is my hope that the process in the Senate will be fair, unlike the process in the House where the controversial tactics used by (U.S. House) Speaker (Nancy) Pelosi and (U.S. House Judiciary) Chairman (Jerry) Nadler and (U.S. Rep. Adam) Schiff broke with bipartisan precedent and denied the president the due process rights afforded to past presidents.”
Toomey laid out what he expects to come when the matter lies before his chamber.
“In a Senate trial, House impeachment managers should be permitted to make their case, and the president’s lawyers should be able to make their defense,” the senator said. “At the conclusion of these presentations, the Senate can then decide what further steps may be necessary.”
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., said he will uphold the oath of office he took to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.”
He too had expectations of himself and his colleagues for the upcoming trial.
“As a juror I will carefully consider all of the evidence in accordance with my oath of office to support and defend the Constitution of the United States,” he said. “Every senator will swear an oath to hear evidence as an impartial juror, and we owe it to the American people to fairly consider all available information related to these articles of impeachment.”
He said based on the values set forth by the Founding Fathers, there was an obligation for a fair and thorough trial and he said he believed that the investigation, so far, had been conducted in a “deliberate, fair and serious manner.”
“When it was revealed in September that President Trump pressured a foreign government to investigate a political opponent, I believed it was a textbook case of abuse of power that demanded action. As a result, I have supported the House inquiry since its initiation this fall,” he said Thursday. “This is a sad day in our nation’s history.”
Guiney also spoke to the historical context of this situation.
“This particular moment in history is a unique moment,” she said. “There’s only three presidents ever that have ever been impeached.”
Andrew Jackson was the first president to be impeached in 1868. Bill Clinton was the second in 1998. Neither were convicted in the Senate.
“I believe that the facts that we have these two impeachments show the polarization that we have in this country,” Guiney added. “I think most of the people in Delaware County agree that, sadly, we have a president that is not going to protect our country. This president is a man who divides, he encourages people to disagree and that is his legacy.”