Democratic congressman from a Trump district says he will split his impeachment vote
Lo and behold, there is a third way.
Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine), a narrowly-elected Democrat representing a Trump-won district, won't be going all in on impeachment, but he's not all out either. Instead, Golden announced Tuesday that he'll split his impeachment vote between the two articles. Golden will vote to impeach Trump on the basis of abuse of power, but he doesn't think the obstructing Congress is a worthy accusation.
In a four-page statement, Golden said Trump "crossed a clear red line" in alleged efforts to pressure Ukraine to investigate his political rivals. However, he doesn't think Democrats reached the threshold of "high crimes and misdeanors" when it comes to the obstruction article.
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It looks like Golden will be the only Democrat — and member of Congress, period — to split his vote.
It might qualify as a renegade move, but ultimately it won't alter the full vote much, if it all, and Golden is more or less falling in line with his party. In doing so, he'll join 27 other Democrats from Trump-voting districts who have also committed to impeaching trump. Read more at The Bangor Daily News.
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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
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