There were two Democrats who voted against Pelosi’s impeachment inquiry, one of which issued a statement decrying impeachment as something that will tear this country “apart at the seams.”:
Statement from @CongressmanJVD, one of two Democrats who voted against moving forward with the impeachment inquiry:
"I believe this inquiry will further divide the country, tearing it apart at the seams." pic.twitter.com/b2wuEBpRno
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) October 31, 2019
The Democrat who issued the statement is Jeff Van Drew from New Jersey’s second district, a district that Trump won by 5 points.
Here’s more from Van Drew via DC Examiner:
Van Drew, a member of the Democrats’ freshman class, has also been an outspoken member of the impeachment process. In 2016, Trump defeated Hillary Clinton 51-46 in his swing district. The New Jersey Democrat excoriated the idea of impeaching the president before walking on to the floor and casting his vote. He told reporters that it “splits the country apart further.”
“I think we want to try to heal the country, bring it together. It is only about 13 months, not even any more to an election. And I think let’s let the people choose, let them impeach if they want to impeach,” Van Drew said. “I think that’s important to note the next pieces, I think that while we’ll have impeachment, I would think most probably here in the House as we go to the Senate … I think it’s going to fail.”
Van Drew added, “And so we will have all this time, all this money, all this energy, all this effort, a failed impeachment. The same president and the same presidential candidate.”
The other Democrat was Collin Peterson from Minnesota whose district Trump won by 31 points in 2016. He issued this statement after his no vote:
“This impeachment process continues to be hopelessly partisan. I have been hearing from my constituents on both sides of this matter for months, and the escalation of calls this past week just shows me how divided our country really is right now. I have some serious concerns with the way the closed-door depositions were run, and am skeptical that we will have a process that is open, transparent and fair. Without support from Senate Republicans, going down this path is a mistake. Today’s vote is both unnecessary, and widely misrepresented in the media and by Republicans as a vote on impeachment. I will not make a decision on impeachment until all the facts have been presented.”
The only two Democrats with courage to stand up to Pelosi’s partisan witch hunt.