Representatives from the Desert Southwest react to Trump’s acquittal
Reaction includes both celebration and outrage
WASHINGTON, D.C. (KYMA, KECY) - Members of the Desert Southwest's Congressional delegation are expressing mixed reactions to President Donald Trump's acquittal.
Representative Raul Grijalva, (D) Arizona, expressed outrage over the Senate's failure to convict Trump on abuse of power and obstruction of Congress charges. Grijalva went so far as to say Congressional Republican "made a mockery of our democracy..."
Impeached President Trump abused his power.
— Raul M. Grijalva (@RepRaulGrijalva) February 5, 2020
His enablers in the Senate put their own interests above the country when they willingly covered it up.
They failed to #DefendOurDemocracy.
My full statement below: pic.twitter.com/ZZIzqsgXR7
Republican Congressman Paul Gosar of Arizona's 4th District has been a vocal supporter of the President throughout the impeachment process. Wednesday he used a photo to sum up his feelings.
Still. Your. President. pic.twitter.com/PhWmuuZueA
— Rep. Paul Gosar, DDS (@RepGosar) February 5, 2020
Republican Senator Martha McSally is also a staunch Trump supporter. McSally voted against conviction on both articles, because she saw it harmful to the nation.
In a statement released shortly after the acquittal, McSally writes:
“Today, I voted against convicting President Trump of the two articles of impeachment. I opposed removing the president from office and the 2020 ballot as this outcome would have been deeply disruptive to the functioning of our government, further divided our nation, and would prevent the American people from deciding who their president should be at the ballot box. The American people collectively are better fit to judge Donald Trump's presidency as a whole than the partisan politicians in Washington who brought forth this impeachment.
Our Founding Fathers were clear that impeachment and conviction of a president is an extreme action of last resort, to be used for only the gravest offenses. By requiring a two-thirds vote in the Senate, the framers warned against impeachment as a political weapon by an oppositional party. Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi used to agree.
“The President is not perfect, and the way he evidently attempted to address his legitimate concerns about corruption involving the Bidens was inappropriate. Even if all the House Democrats allege is accurate, even if John Bolton supports their allegations in his book, even if other negative information comes out in the future, this does not rise to anywhere near the level of throwing the president out of office or off the ballot for the first time in American history. Beyond that, House Democrats failure to exhaust all available avenues to obtain witnesses and records, by definition, invalidated their frivolous charge of obstruction of Congress. This entire matter, ultimately, should have been handled via the normal oversight processes available to Congress with subpoena disputes resolved in the courts. You can't argue, as Nancy Pelosi did, that the president is an urgent danger to national security and then wait for over a month before sending an incomplete work product to the Senate. Her actions were transparently political and not at all in line with the grave nature of our impeachment process.
After 13 witnesses, over 28,000 pages of evidence, and nine days of presentations, the Senate did its constitutional duty to try this impeachment. The Democrats simply failed to convince the Senate—or the American people—that the president should be removed from office. It is only fair that the American people decide who their president should be. It’s time for the Senate to resume its focus on issues that matter to real people, like the cost of prescription drugs, access to affordable health care, and taking care of our veterans.”
Statement by Sen. Martha McSally, (R) Arizona
Senators Diane Feinstein and Kamala Harris, both Democrats from California, voted to convict the President on both articles. Harris tweeted out this comment after the vote:
Today the Republican-controlled Senate failed to hold Trump accountable. This continues a shameful history of two systems of justice: one for powerful people like Trump and one for everyone else. No one should be above the law, not even the president of the United States.
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) February 5, 2020
Senator Feinstein refered her constituents to the statements she made on the Senate floor Tuesday.
Today, I voted guilty on both articles of impeachment against President Trump. Yesterday, I spoke on the Senate floor about my decision. https://t.co/d3DJvVJwjC
— Senator Dianne Feinstein (@SenFeinstein) February 5, 2020
Congressman Juan Vargas, a Democrat who represents the Imperial Valley in Washington, has not released a statement reacting to the vote.
