In Their Own Words: The Ohio Congressional Delegation Votes on the Impeachment Inquiry Resolution

Beth Lear

 

The United States House of Representatives passed House Resolution 660 on Thursday, a hastily-crafted piece of legislation, “Directing certain committees to continue their ongoing investigations as part of the existing House of Representatives inquiry into whether sufficient grounds exist for the House of Representatives to exercise its Constitutional power to impeach Donald John Trump, President of the United States of America, and for other purposes.”

All 16 members of the Ohio delegation – 12 Republicans and 4 Democrats – were present and voted along party lines with Democrats supporting the Resolution and Republicans opposing.

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH-04) spoke at the press conference afterwards. A tweet from the party quoted him, “It is a sad day, it really is for this country – what the Democrats have put our nation through for now almost four years…All that we went through with the whole Mueller thing and now this today, this entire sham process.”

Ohio’s 1st Congressional District Representative, Republican Steve Chabot (R-OH-01), tweeted, “House Democrats showed today that their only agenda is impeachment. I think the American people would prefer we focus on infrastructure, the USMCA, drug prices and combating the opioid epidemic.”

Fox News hosted Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-OH-02) to discuss the vote. “I joined Harris Faulkner this afternoon to discuss today’s impeachment inquiry vote in the House. Watch the full interview below,” Wenstrup posted. One of his comments to Faulkner was, “We’re going to get people only Adam Schiff wants to hear from.”

Ohio Democrats had their opinions as well. Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-OH-03) shared this statement, “No person, even the president, is above the law. That is why I voted in favor of the impeachment inquiry resolution. The American people deserve to know the full truth, and this vote will ensure just that.”

Congressman Bob Latta (R-OH-05) issued a series of tweets, including, “Alexander Hamilton warned of the dangers that a politicized impeachment process would bring. Today is the realization of Hamilton’s fears. The American people deserve openness and transparency, and they are not getting it.”

He ended with, “As the majority charges full speed ahead in their attempt to overturn the 2016 election, we must stand strong for what is just and fair. 5/5”

Rep. Bill Johnson (R-OH-06) listed his reasons for voting no on twitter,

The impeachment resolution that I voted NO on today:

-Does not give R’s equal subpoena power
-Does not force Adam Schiff to make any evidence or findings public for the American people
-Does not provide due process for the President

This #ImpeachmentInquiry is a total sham.”

Eastern Ohio Rep. Bob Gibbs (R-OH-07) tweeted, “Democrats’ dishonest desire to impeach @realDonaldTrump has nothing to do w Ukraine or some imagined abuse of power. They’ve been trying to impeach since day one as revenge for winning the 2016 election.” He added a video collage of Democrats spewing their talking points.

The 8th District’s Republican Representative, Warren Davidson (R-OH-08), wrote, “President @realDonaldTrump is not above the law, but he’s not beneath the law. This process isn’t #bipartisan and doesn’t provide the due process of either the #Nixon or #Clinton impeachments.”

Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH-09) tweeted her statement, including “Today’s vote was not one to be taken lightly. It is a sad day for the United States that such a vote must even be taken. We owe it to hard-working Americans who play by the rules, who respect the law, and who revere our Constitution to conduct a thorough investigation.”

Congressman Mike Turner (R-OH-10) spoke out last week, but not after the vote on Thursday. “House Democrats’ impeachment process is being done in secret, which I believe is a violation of the Constitution & the rights of the American public. They are preventing Members of Congress from telling our constituents what they are doing behind closed doors,” he said.

 

A recently dropped out candidate for the Democratic nomination for President, Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH-13) announced on Twitter, “The testimonies from those present for the call and the demands for the investigation of a political opponent are damning. Today, the House sent a strong, unequivocal message that Trump and his Admin are not above the law – there are consequences to their corrupt actions.”

Rep. Dave Joyce (R-OH-14) tweeted,

MYTH: The House is addressing the issues that matter to everyday Americans while the majority pursues their partisan inquiry.

FACT: The House has issued more subpoenas than they’ve had bills passed & signed into law…”

Joyce also provided a link to a more lengthy statement.

Although he made no public comment about his vote, Rep. Troy Balderson (R-OH-12) did run a survey on his Facebook asking Ohioans about impeachment earlier in the week.

 

One of the newest members, Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH-16) explained, “Today, I voted NO on the impeachment inquiry. My full statement below…”

Democratic Congresswoman Marcia Fudge (D-OH-11) and Republican Rep. Steve Stivers (R-OH-15) have made no public comments about the impeachment resolution thus far.

Not surprisingly, President Trump weighed in as well, not only providing his thoughts, but also a video of his accomplishments. He tweeted, “While the Do Nothing Democrats FAIL the American People, and continue the Impeachment Scam, my Administration will continue to deliver REAL RESULTS, as seen over the past month, below!”

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Beth Lear is a reporter at The Ohio Star.  Follow Beth on Twitter.  Email tips to [email protected].

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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