Rep. David Valadao only California Republican to break party lines and vote to impeach Trump
One California Republican broke with his party on Wednesday and voted to impeach President Donald Trump over his encouragement last week of a mob that overwhelmed the U.S. Capitol.
Newly elected Republican Rep. David Valadao of Hanford was one of the 10 GOP lawmakers in the House of Representatives who joined Democrats voting to impeach the president, bringing the final vote to 232 to 197.
Valadao said Trump was “without question, a driving force in the catastrophic events that took place on Jan. 6” when pro-Trump activists broke into the Capitol and drove lawmakers from their chambers as they met to certify election results.
Valadao criticized House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, for rushing the process and not allowing more time for hearings on impeachment. He said she had reduced impeachment to “a political stunt.” But he still felt he had to vote to impeach.
“Based on the facts before me, I have to go with my gut and vote my conscience. I voted to impeach President Trump,” Valadao concluded in his statement. “His inciting rhetoric was un-American, abhorrent, and absolutely an impeachable offense. It’s time to put country over politics.”
The impeachment articles cite Trump’s comments to encourage the rioters, including by telling them: “If you don’t fight like hell you’re not going to have a country anymore.” At least five people have died as a direct result of the melee, including one Capitol Police officer.
The articles also say Trump encouraged the riot with his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
The Senate is unlikely to take up the impeachment articles before Trump leaves office. But if the Senate votes to remove Trump, it also could also vote to bar him from running in future elections.
Valadao has previously served in the House, but was ousted by former Democratic Rep. TJ Cox in 2018. Valadao won his seat back in 2020 by a thin margin in a district that trends more Democratic in presidential elections.
This story was originally published January 13, 2021 at 2:40 PM.
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