Utah’s Representatives Vote Against Impeachment
Jan 13, 2021, 9:46 PM
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 13: Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) presides over the vote to impeach U.S. President Donald Trump for the second time in little over a year in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol January 13, 2021 in Washington, DC. The House voted to impeach Trump on the charge of “incitement of insurrection," 232-197 after a mob of his supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol where Congress was working to certify the Electoral College victory of President-elect Joe Biden on January 6. 10 Republicans voted to impeach. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
(Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – All four of Utah’s representatives voted against impeaching President Donald Trump on Wednesday.
Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives after being charged with “incitement of insurrection” over the deadly mob siege of the Capitol.
Utah’s representatives stood their ground despite 10 fellow GOP lawmakers joining Democrats and voting for impeachment.
Each representative gave their reasoning for voting against impeachment, stating the need for a full inquiry.
Some lawmakers believe Wednesday’s move sets a dangerous precedent for future administrations.
“An impeachment trial with no hearings, anything to that nature is a dangerous precedent and I will always hold a very, very high bar for impeachment,” said Rep. Blake Moore.
A rushed impeachment will set a dangerous precedent, & without a single hearing I cannot reach the high bar of impeachment. I have joined 9 colleagues in introducing a censure resolution to provide a constitutional path to accountability. #utpol
— Rep. Blake Moore (@RepBlakeMoore) January 14, 2021
Just 10 days in office, Moore voiced his opinion on the House floor for the first time today.
He echoed remarks made by Rep. John Curtis, who told KSL NewsRadio Wednesday’s vote was too quick.
“I guarantee you, I don’t like that this will happen but let’s face it, the republicans someday will do a 48-hour impeachment and everyone is going to look back at this time and say that’s where it started,” Curtis said. “And it’s going to be as wrong then as it is today.”
I condemn the President's words and actions which contributed to last week’s violence and encourage all Americans to similarly condemn.
I vote no to rushing impeachment and politicizing what could have been a serious & thoughtful bipartisan review. pic.twitter.com/yVesRc22v3
— Rep. John Curtis (@RepJohnCurtis) January 13, 2021
Curtis, Moore and at least eight other Republican representatives introduced a resolution late Tuesday night to formally censure Trump. But it’s not likely to go far now that Trump has been impeached.
Wednesday’s impeachment now moves to the Senate. Sen. Mitt Romney was the lone Republican to vote in favor of impeachment in 2019.
We have a transfer of power occurring next week, and any debate on impeachment will only deepen the divide our country is facing. My statement: pic.twitter.com/L6uCz06035
— Rep. Burgess Owens (@RepBurgessOwens) January 13, 2021
