House Democrats announced two articles of impeachment that state President Donald Trump abused his power and obstructed Congress on Tuesday morning. Iowa Republican elected officials and candidates responded to the news.
“The Democratsâ desire to overturn the 2016 election by impeaching President Trump has been abundantly clear since before he took the oath of office. But try as they might, theyâve struggled to arrive at a charge that can stand up to scrutiny. First it was collusion with Russia, but the special counsel spent two years and $35 million investigating, only to debunk the theory. Yesterdayâs report by the Justice Department Inspector General revealed that this claim was built on a foundation of lies and rumors pushed by Trumpâs opponents. So the Democrats set their sights on an alleged quid pro quo, but that didnât poll well with voters. They changed their allegation to bribery, but the facts and history didnât seem to support that claim either. So once again, they are watering down their charge,” U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said in a released statement.
âThe Houseâs strung-out preoccupation with impeachment has come at a cost. For example, USMCA languished in the House for more than a year, only to finally and conveniently move just minutes after Speaker Pelosi announced articles of impeachment. Meanwhile, the Senate has been focused on issues that matter most to the American people, like strengthening the economy, promoting job and wage growth and preventing a government shutdown.,” he added. âIf the House decides to move forward, the Senate will do its constitutional duty with fairness and clear eyes, not blind partisanship.â
U.S. Senator Joni Ernst said that she was not surprised by announcement.
âHouse Democrats have been heck-bent on impeaching President Trump since 2016, by any and all means necessary, so I canât say Iâm surprised by Speaker Pelosiâs announcement today. However, I am concerned about what their partisan fixation with impeachment will mean for any progress on the most pressing matters facing Congress right now, such as funding our military and passing the USMCA. House Democrats are simply putting partisan politics ahead of Iowansâ interests. If the House moves forward with impeachment, the Senate will fulfill its constitutional duties in a deliberative way,â she told Caffeinated Thoughts.
U.S. Congressman Steve King, R-Iowa, said Democrats finally found their excuse to impeach President Trump.
“The excuses are this: âAbuse of Powerâ and âObstruction of Congress,'” he said.
“The âObstruction of Congressâ charge is this: that Donald Trump didnât make it easy enough for Democrats to come up with a reason to impeach him. Theyâve been determined to do that for three years and a month. Then theyâll define what that âobstructionâ actually is,” King added. “The second thing is âAbuse of Power.â If this charge of âAbuse of Powerâ is impeachable, that means that you can impeach any President at any time as soon as you disagree with what heâs done with his foreign policy.”
“Thatâs the scenario that is here. There are 4 reasons to impeach a President: Treason- they fell flat there, no treason on Donald Trumpâs part; Bribery- they talked about it. They canât make that stick either, so that fell in a flop; High Crimes- no High Crimes either. This is down to misdemeanor, and their minutiae definitions of misdemeanor because they have politically decided to impeach this President. And if they do so, they will set a standard, a low standard for impeachment, that will cause it to happen over and over again going forward,” King concluded.
State Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Marion, who is running in Iowa’s 1st Congressional District race said after the vote on a formal impeachment inquiry was conducted said on Facebook, “The Democrats in Congress continue to focus on endless investigations instead of passing USMCA, improving our healthcare system, and securing our border. When I go to Washington, I’ll focus on solving problems that really matter to Iowa families. We need new leadership that puts people before politics.”
Her campaign told Caffeinated Thoughts that her opinion on the move to impeach President Trump has not changed.
Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Republican candidate in Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District, weighed in.
âToday, the liberal Democrats took a step we all saw coming from the day Donald Trump won the presidency: the announcement of articles of impeachment. The fact of the matter is that the radical Left has been trying to override the 2016 election results any way they can, and this impeachment process is the latest attempt to undermine the American people. This is not how democracy works: Congress should let the voters decide who they want in the White House,” she said.
“Where is Rita Hart on this latest act by her fellow Democrats?” Miller-Meeks asked. “She hasn’t said a word about impeachment, and I think it’s time voters in this district got a straight answer from the woman who wants to represent them.”
“Iowa voters want Congress to do its job: pass health care and immigration reform, get the USMCA on the president’s desk after over a year delay, reauthorize transportation funding and pass a sound budget so the programs and projects Americans depend on will continue to get funding. This impeachment process is a distraction and only further divides this country,” she concluded.
Former Congressman Bobby Schilling who is also running for the Republican nomination in Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District responded.
âFrom the moment President Trump took office, the Democrats have sought to undo his election through whatever means possible. The charges being levied against him by partisan opportunists are totally without merit, and the American people recognize this entire process for the circus it is,” he said.
âFar be it from me to provide the Democrats with advice, but the path they are on is a surefire way to lose the House in 2020. That starts with the Iowa 2nd District. Rita Hart is staying quiet on impeachment because she knows it is a political loser with working families, but rest assured: if elected, she will be a foot soldier for Nancy Pelosi. She will fully embody her San Francisco values on issues like abortion, guns, and immigration. And thereâs no doubt that she would vote for this baseless impeachment if she were a Member of Congress right now” Schilling added.
âIowans are sick and tired of the political gamesmanship taking place in Washington. They want someone who will set partisanship aside and put Iowa families first. Thatâs what I intend to do if elected in November,” he concluded
Former U.S. Rep. David Young, a Republican challenging U.S. Rep. Cindy Axne, D-Iowa, in Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District responded in a series to tweets:
Two candidates challenging King for the Republican nomination in Iowa’s 4th Congressional District responded as well.
“Enough already. Today’s draft Articles of Impeachment are a stain on the already terrible reputation of the partisan Washington swamp. Congress has been pushing impeachment since before the President even took office, and they’ve spent millions of taxpayer dollars investigating President Trump. They’ve come up with nothing. It’s disgraceful, and it needs to stop,” Jeremy Taylor, Woodbury County Supervisor and former state representative, said..
State Senator Randy Feenstra, R-Hull, criticized the articles of impeachment and King.
âWhen President Trump needs him most, Congressman King is unable to help due to his bizarre behavior and his removal from key committees. Iowa conservatives had no voice during the Schiff, Pelosi, Nadler sham hearings,” he said.
âKingâs behavior has been devastating to our President and our state as Democrats continue to investigate and obstruct, rather than pass his agenda to keep America great. Congress needs to get back to doing the work of the people and stop this end-run on our electoral system,” Feenstra added.
Note: Caffeinated Thoughts also reached out to Democratic U.S. Reps. Cindy Axne, Abby Finkenauer, and Dave Loebsack for comment, none of which responded by the time this article was published.
