Donald Trump is now the first President in United States history to be impeached a second time. House Democrats, with support from ten of their Republican colleagues, voted 232-197 to charge the President with “incitement of insurrection” in connection with last week’s attack on the U.S. Capitol
Rep. Tom Tiffany was one of Wisconsin’s congressional delegation to weigh in during today’s impeachment proceedings. The Minocqua republican represents Wisconsin’s seventh district, which includes most of northern Wisconsin.
Tiffany was one of only two members in Wisconsin’s Congressional Delegation to oppose the certification of Joe Biden’s electoral college win last week, alongside fellow Republican Rep. Scott Fitzgerald.
Today he voted against impeaching the President.
TOM TIFFANY (WI-07): “My father once said to me, ‘Just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should.’
In the short time I’ve served in this body, one thing is clear: this is not a serious place. Last year, we watched as the other side delayed covid relief for months to inflict maximum pain and sway the outcome of the election. The Speaker said as much.
Yet, these last two days, we’ve seen how fast they can move when they want to exact political retribution on their opponents. My friends on the other side now have complete control of both houses of Congress, and in a few days they will control the entire executive branch as well.
Madam Speaker, Joe Biden has talked about unity and healing. Is that what this is today? Is accusing Republican lawmakers of sedition and calling for their expulsion the plan for healing? Is working with Silicon Valley to digitally disappear those with whom they disagree the plan for reconciliation?
I was among the first to condemn the riots in Madison months ago and I condemn what happened last week. But, where were the swift accusations of incitement and insurrection from the other side last year? Is today’s political theater a preview of what the American people can expect from single-party rule? Two years of double standards and punishing those who voted for someone else?
Madam Speaker, I hope Mr. Biden is watching today and he will rise to the moment and call off this effort to rub salt in the wounds of millions of Americans. It is now time for all of us, Democrats and Republicans alike, to turn down the temperature.”
Only one other Wisconsin Republican congressman spoke at today’s vote — Rep. Glenn Grothman of Glenbeulah. Grothman represents Wisconsin’s sixth congressional district, which includes the eastern parts of the state situated between Madison, Green Bay and Milwaukee.
Unlike Tiffany, Grothman voted to confirm Biden’s electoral college win last week. But, he joined his fellow Wisconsin Republicans in voting against the President’s impeachment.
GLENN GROTHMAN (WI-06): “I rise today to strongly object to the articles of impeachment proposed against President Trump, which make the preposterous claim that President Trump wanted or expected the riots that took place last week. He clearly said he wanted peaceful and patriotic demonstration.
He did say he wanted people to fight like Hell or we’re not going to have a country anymore, but that’s obviously standard hyperbole and was not meant to incite physical fights.
But what is offensive is what you are saying about the tens of thousands of peaceful protesters who were there last week, as well as the tens of millions of people they represent. You don’t understand why they were here — they’re scared to death we’re going to go back to the days without Donald Trump, of hundreds of thousands of people crossing this border every month.
They’re scared to death that nobody’s going to keep our manufacturing here. They’re scared to death that nobody else will fight the cancel culture, as we head towards an are when some things can’t be said.
They’re scared to death that a majority party got here by teaming up with Black Lives Matter — founded by a bunch of Marxists.”
Wisconsin’s three other Republican Representatives — Bryan Steil (WI-01), Scott Fitzgerald (WI-05) and Mike Gallagher (WI-08) — also voted against impeachment.
Meanwhile, all three of Wisconsin’s Democratic Congressional reps supported the impeachment.
Madison Rep. Mark Pocan used his thirty seconds on the floor to condemn the President’s incitement of last Wednesday’s mob.
MARK POCAN (WI-02): “The U.S. Capitol has not been breached for over 200 years, since the war of 1812. That is, until last Wednesday, when it wasn’t another country that attacked us — but our own President.
President Donald Trump asked his supporters to march on the capitol, inciting domestic terrorism that cost five lives.
And we all know, whether you say it aloud or not, Donald Trump is responsible for inciting attacks on our Democracy, when he should have been the one person protecting it the most. And for that, he is unfit to be President and we must impeach him.”
Rep. Gwen Moore, of Milwaukee, issued a scathing indictment of the President’s role in last week’s insurrection. She argued that, with just seven days left to go until the end of his term, Trump could still pose a serious, long-term threat to national security.
GWEN MOORE (WI-04): “Madam Speaker, the President radicalized American citizens and — as his Vice President fled from a lynch mob and the speaker cowered and while people died –he watched with glee.
That is why, even though it’s only seven days before the end of his term, we have the fierce urgency of now. Seven days is too long for him to be in power.
He could declassify state secrets. He could even pardon the person who killed our U.S. Capitol police officer.”
Democratic Rep. Ron Kind (WI-03), of La Crosse, also voted in favor of the President’s impeachment. Kind represents most of the state’s western Driftless region.
The House’s ruling will now go to the U.S. Senate. With their victories in Georgia, Democrats now control that Chamber.
It’s unlikely the Senate will be able to schedule an impeachment trial before President Trump leaves office; Mitch McConnell has said the earliest day for a Senate trial is January 19th, one day before Biden’s inauguration. But, even with Trump out of the White House, Democrats could try to push ahead with finishing the impeachment.
Carrying out impeachment proceedings against a former President would also be a historically unprecedented move, and one that his divided legal scholars.
The house also voted 222-205 yesterday in favor of a resolution calling on Vice President Mike Pence to remove the President from office by invoking the 25th amendment. However, Pence has indicated that he is against the idea and will not heed Congress’ wishes.
(PHOTO: Louis Velazquez / Unsplash)
