GOP congressman explains impeachment support: Trump 'shrank from leadership when our country needed it most'

Pete Meijer.
(Image credit: AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

On Wednesday, 10 House Republicans voted in favor of President Trump's impeachment, with several, including Reps. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.), Anthony Gonzalez (R-Ohio), and Pete Meijer (R-Mich.), announcing their decisions during the floor debate.

Meijer released a fairly lengthy statement saying he "wrestled" with his choice before reaching the conclusion that Trump's actions during and after the deadly Capitol riot last week warranted impeachment. "The one man who could have restored order, prevented the deaths of five Americans including a Capitol Police officer, and avoided the desecration of our Capitol shrank from leadership when our country needed it most," he said in the statement.

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Tim O'Donnell

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.