GOP congressmen kept mentioning Trump's 63 million votes. Steny Hoyer reminded them Hillary had more.
Throughout the House debate on Wednesday, several Republicans said that by trying to impeach President Trump, Democrats were actually attacking the nearly 63 million people who voted for him. Not so fast, responded House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.).
"There's been a lot of talk about the 63 million people who voted for Mr. Trump," he said. "Little talk about the 65 million who voted for Hillary Clinton." This elicited claps and cheers from fellow Democrats.
Hoyer understands that people want to defend members of their own party, but "party loyalty must have its limits," he said. Hoyer went on to mention Rep. Justin Amash (I-Mich.), who left the Republican Party earlier this year and is a conservative critic of Trump. Amash is "the only member of this House who has no allegiance to either party, but to his country," Hoyer said. "He is supporting both articles. We need to ask who will be the first to show courage by standing up to President Trump. The question we must now ask is who will be the last to find it?"
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
The rise of runcationsThe Week Recommends Lace up your running shoes and hit the trails on your next holiday
-
Amorim follows Maresca out of Premier League after ‘awful’ seasonIn the Spotlight Manchester United head coach sacked after dismal results and outburst against leadership, echoing comments by Chelsea boss when he quit last week
-
‘Jumping genes': How polar bears are rewiring their DNA to survive the warming ArcticUnder the radar The species is adapting to warmer temperatures
-
Venezuela’s Trump-shaped power vacuumIN THE SPOTLIGHT The American abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has thrust South America’s biggest oil-producing state into uncharted geopolitical waters
-
Trump says US ‘in charge’ of Venezuela after Maduro grabSpeed Read The American president claims the US will ‘run’ Venezuela for an unspecified amount of time, contradicting a statement from Secretary of State Marco Rubio
-
‘Let 2026 be a year of reckoning’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Jack Smith: Trump ‘caused’ Jan. 6 riotSpeed Read
-
Wave of cancellations prompts Kennedy Center turmoilIN THE SPOTLIGHT Accusations and allegations fly as artists begin backing off their regularly scheduled appearances
-
Trump considers giving Ukraine a security guaranteeTalking Points Zelenskyy says it is a requirement for peace. Will Putin go along?
-
Why is Trump’s alleged strike on Venezuela shrouded in so much secrecy?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION Trump’s comments have raised more questions than answers about what his administration is doing in the Southern Hemisphere
-
Vance’s ‘next move will reveal whether the conservative movement can move past Trump’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
