Dec. 18, 2019 by David Silverberg
Rep. Francis Rooney (R-19-Fla.) announced at 4:12 pm today that he would be voting against the impeachment of President Donald J. Trump.
Rooney was one of the last undeclared Republicans to make his intentions known.
Rooney cited what he considered the unseemly speed of the process as the reason for his vote.
His full statement follows:
"The impeachment of a President is among the most somber votes that any Member of Congress can take. The process should not be rushed or based on an artificial timeline, nor should it be partisan or incomplete. It should be thorough and convincing. I repeatedly urged the leaders of the process to stay these proceedings until all executive privilege claims and refusals to deliver documents could be adjudicated by the courts, and all relevant primary sources of testimony could be heard under oath, as was the case in both the Clinton and Nixon impeachment hearings.
“Additionally, having asked numerous ex-White House Counsels and well-known government attorneys, there can be no ‘obstruction of Congress (or of justice)’ while the person refusing to comply is relying on a claim of executive privilege. Only after losing in court, and still refusing to comply with a subpoena, would a claimant be obstructing.
“Based on the limited evidence provided to the House of Representatives, the President’s behavior, while inappropriate, was neither criminal, nor does it rise to the level of justifying impeachment.
"It is now time to get back to the business of passing the USMCA, securing our borders, fixing our immigration system, protecting our environment, and working to reduce our unconscionable national debt."