The impeachment vote of President Donald Trump.
Dec. 19, 2019 by David Silverberg
Southwest Florida politicians and activists reacted strongly to yesterday’s impeachment of President Donald Trump by the US House of Representatives. Below, a sampling as of noon today:
Democrats:
Cindy Banyai, congressional candidate, 19th Congressional District: “While I am proud of our American governance processes in action, I am saddened that it was necessary. I expect more from our leaders than petty manipulations for personal gain and constant deception. I expect transparency, honesty, and truth from our leadership. This is something that every American should expect and demand.” (Banyai’s full statement follows this article.)
Annisa Karim, chair of the Collier County Democratic Party: “Congress, co-equal to the President, did its job in protecting our country and fulfilling their oath of office to, ‘support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.’
“Deflection and distraction do not change facts.
“Fact: the President sought help from a foreign government against an American citizen who might challenge him for his office. That is an impeachable offense and Congress had a duty to act.”
Republicans:
Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, 25th Congressional District: “There should not be any doubt about the ‘high crimes and misdemeanors’ that form the basis of an impeachment. As the facts demonstrate in this case, there were no violations of law, and therefore, this impeachment has no merit.”
Rep. Greg Steube, 17th Congressional District: “Tonight, I voted no on the Articles of Impeachment for President Donald J. Trump. This impeachment charade was riddled with procedural failures, denials of due process, and partisan games. The facts are clear, the president has not committed an impeachable offense, and certainly not a high crime or misdemeanor as the Democrats allege. I urge the Senate to quickly evaluate the lack of evidence and acquit the president, so we can all focus on improving the lives of Americans instead of further dividing our nation.”
(As of this writing, Rep. Francis Rooney, 19th Congressional District, had not released a post-vote statement.)
State Rep. Dane Eagle, 77th Florida District, congressional candidate: “Our President has been impeached as part of a political stunt. A sad day for our country. We can't afford to go down this path any longer - we need leaders in Congress who will stand up for the President and the prosperity of our nation!”
Dan Severson, congressional candidate, tweet: “Pray for our @POTUS. He is an innocent man. Today the @TheDemocrats have attacked all Americans who voted for him, who are now employed, whose economic outlook has improved, whose 401Ks have grown. An attack on @realDonaldTrump is an attack on all of us.”
William Figlesthaler, congressional candidate statement: “Tonight’s vote highlights the sickness of liberals in Congress and the need for conservative Republicans to take back control of the House.”
Other congressional candidates had not issued statements as of this writing.
Cindy Banyai, full statement:
The House of Representatives passed two articles of impeachment on December 18, 2019. There is much to be proud of as Americans - the courageous testimony of government officials in reporting malfeasance, representatives pushing forward in the face of criticism and political attack to preserve our institutions and the balance of power that makes us strong. There is also much to lament - the mere fact that the egregious corruption that prompted the articles even occurred, the flip response of the president on impeachment, including the statement "I'm having a good time" made during his Battle Creek rally that evening.
Impeachment is not something to be celebrated, but a necessary check on unbridled power like that which we have witnessed from President Trump. While I am proud of our American governance processes in action, I am saddened that it was necessary. I expect more from our leaders than petty manipulations for personal gain and constant deception. I expect transparency, honesty, and truth from our leadership This is something that every American should expect and demand.
The United States as a nation is a model to the world in terms of our Constitution, government structure, and adherence to the rights of people against the powerful. We need processes like impeachment to remain a model for democracy and we need to continue to restore faith in our institutions. Our adversaries want to see the failure of our model and democracy moreover. We need to keep fighting to retain integrity in our government because the whole world and all of humanity is counting on us standing up for democracy.