With little suspense, Arizona representatives vote along party lines
Arizona’s House members voted along party lines to impeach President Donald Trump on Wednesday, with Democrats united on both counts relating to the Ukrainian matter and Republicans bitterly complaining about the entire process.
The votes were historic, but lacking any suspense after a day of well-worn speeches that didn’t seem to change a single member’s views.
All five Democrats in the state’s House delegation voted to impeach Trump for abuse of power in his dealings with Ukraine and for obstructing the congressional investigation. All four Arizona Republi
cans voted against both articles.
The vote means there will be a trial in the Senate to decide whether Trump should be convicted and removed from office.
During the daylong debate, Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., rhetorically challenged his GOP counterparts, knowing they would not join his side.
“Those still defending the president’s actions are desperately grasping at straws while living in an alternative universe where facts don’t exist,” he said on the floor of the House.
Republicans looked at their Democratic colleagues with equal dismay.
“It’s obvious today that there’s an intense hatred from the Democrats for President Donald Trump. Why do they hate the man so much?” asked Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz. “Maybe it’s just the previous administration they’re trying to cover up. It’s sad . ... Shame on them.”
Both men were among the five members of Arizona’s delegation who spoke about their upcoming votes.
Among those who did not speak was Rep. David Schweikert, R-Ariz., who could face one of the most competitive congressional elections in the state next year.
Rep. Tom O’Halleran, D-Ariz., repeated his views on impeachment that were sketched out last week.
“President Trump abused the power of the presidency and broke his oath of office when he bribed the Ukrainian president,” O’Halleran said in a statement. “He obstructed Congress’ constitutional obligation to perform checks and balances on the executive branch to investigate potential wrongdoing by the president when he directed individuals, agencies, and offices not to comply with official subpoenas issued by House Committees and withheld the whistleblower complaint from Congress.”
In a statement after the votes, Schweikert said the impeachment vote will pose problems in the future.
“Today’s bipartisan vote against impeachment reconfirmed my colleagues across the aisle are unwilling to listen to the majority of Americans, and instead pursued impeachment based on their distaste for the president,” he said. “The articles of impeachment presented before the House today are an abuse of power and this entire process has set a dangerous precedent for future presidencies.”
Even before the impeachment vote, it was clear that all members of Arizona’s delegation intended to stick to their party’s line.
Fallout from vote unlikely for most
For most, their vote likely carries little political fallout. In 2016, Trump won or lost in six of Arizona’s nine districts by 15 percentage points or more.
The only member whose vote was in question in recent weeks was O’Halleran, whose rural district voted for Trump by 1 percentage point even as it sent him to Congress twice.
O’Halleran explained his decision to vote for impeachment on Friday, saying Trump “bribed the nation of Ukraine by withholding military aid they had already been promised in exchange for help investigating a political opponent.”
The White House included him in its pressure campaign ahead of the impeachment vote, describing him Tuesday as an ally of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
“O’Halleran has locked arms with Nancy Pelosi and progressive Democrats trying to impeach President Trump,” the White House said in a statement.
Other members faced less scrutiny of their positions.
Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., offered a harsh assessment of what preceded the votes.
“The underpinnings for impeachment are real and historic. Trump has perverted the rule of law, abused his power and engaged in a cover-up,” he said.
“No amount of misdirection, lies, disinformation, tantrums and cries of victimization by Trump and others can undo the abuse of power and obstruction of Congress that remain clear and present. The president leaves us no choice but to vote to impeach.”
Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Ariz., said it was Democrats, not Trump, who had abused their office.
“This impeachment is a total joke and a total sham,” she said. Lesko noted that Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the chairman of the Intelligence Committee, had long promised to have proof of Trump’s collusion with Russia.
“That turned out to be false,” she said. “Then overnight, it was obstruction of justice, then quid pro quo, then bribery, then extortion, and the list goes on. And yet not one of those is listed in the articles of impeachment.”
Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., was blunt in assailing the process Democrats used.
“This process has been partisan, vindictive, dishonest,” he said. “In this impeachment, Democrats have lied about the content of the July 25 call, met secretly with the whistleblower, held Soviet-style hearings behind closed doors where the Judiciary Committee, the committee of jurisdiction, could not attend.”
Gallego asked Republicans how differently they would view the case if it involved a Democrat instead.
“To those still unwilling to search their souls, ask yourself: Would you support a Democratic president using taxpayer dollars to pressure a foreign government to investigate a Republican political opponent based on false Russian conspiracy theories? Of course not. That’s absurd,” he said. “Any president who does that has abused the power of the presidency.”
Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, D-Ariz., spelled out her views supporting impeachment in a midday tweet.
“Today is a somber day, but it’s necessary. I took an oath to protect and defend the Constitution, it’s my job,” she said. “We must hold the President accountable for his abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. For now, and future generations I will fight for our democracy.”
Reach the reporter Ronald J. Hansen at ronald.hansen@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-4493. Follow him on Twitter @ronaldjhansen. Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today.
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