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Byrne says he will vote no on impeachment today

Today the U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote to impeach President Donald J. Trump (R). Tuesday, Congressman Bradley Byrne (R-Montrose) announced that he will vote no on the controversial impeachment resolution.

“I will absolutely VOTE NO on the Democrats sham articles of impeachment this week,” Byrne said in a statement. “Impeachment was designed for extreme cases, not just because you disagree with someone’s politics. What the Democrats are doing is shameful and a total waste of time!”

One of the criticisms of Pres. Trump is that he did not cooperate with Congress’s many investigations.

“If “obstruction of Congress” was actually an impeachable offense then President Obama and Attorney General Holder should have been impeached for their stonewalling during the Fast and Furious scandal,” Byrne said. “I’ll vote no on this impeachment sham tomorrow and continue to shine light on the Democrats’ hypocrisy.”

Most Republicans are expected to vote against the two articles of impeachment being advanced by House Democrats less than eleven months prior to the 2020 election. Congresswoman Martha Roby (R-Montgomery) said earlier this week that the bar necessary for impeachment of Pres. Trump has not been reached.

“I have made clear how woefully incomplete this process has been, how the Minority’s right to a hearing has been completely disregarded, how no fact witnesses were called before us, and how staff questioning staff to get the truth was bizarre,” Roby stated. “I have stated time and time again before this Committee: process matters. Without abiding by a framework that adheres to our Constitution, we are charting a course that does not follow our country’s founding principles.”

“Whether you identify as a Republican, Democrat, or Independent, whether you agree or disagree with a president’s policies, whether you like or even dislike a president, the American people should feel cheated by what has taken place here,” Roby added.

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“Under the Socialist Democrats’ impeachment standard Barack Obama should have been impeached,” Congressman Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) said. “The Socialist Democrats are impeaching President Trump over what is essentially a legal dispute. The Constitution is clear, an impeachable offense is a high crime or misdemeanor, treason, or bribery. Yet, Socialist Democrats don’t allege any of these four things in their impeachment articles.”

Byrne, Roby, and Brooks are all attorneys in addition to being members of Congress.

Most Republicans agree with their GOP Congress members.

Alabama Republican Party Chairman Terry Lathan released a statement following the House Judiciary Committee vote on articles of impeachment against President Trump.

“While the outcome of today’s vote comes as absolutely no surprise, it does not negate the malfeasance by the Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee,” Lathan said. “This entire process has been nothing more than an attempt to undo the outcome of the 2016 election voted on by the American people. The Democrats have moved forward without allowing Republicans to present witnesses and facts. Alabamians see through this partisan sham for what it is. We are grateful to Alabama’s US Representative Martha Roby (2nd CD) who is on the Judicial Committee as she spoke the truth during this process and voted NO today.”

When asked to comment on the House Judiciary Committee vote on impeachment Trump Victory National Finance Committee member Perry O. Hooper Jr. told the Alabama Political Reporter: “It’s a sad day in America to see raw politics decide the Judiciary Committee vote. The Democrat Chairman Nadler and the Democrat Committee Members forced a vote to impeach the President without a scintilla rule of evident. This vote had nothing to do with a crime or anything the President did wrong, but it had everything to do with raw and gutter politics. What Chairman Nadler and his Democrats have done is a perfect example of a Travesty of Justice.”

Donald Trump will join Andrew Johnson and William J. “Bill” Clinton (D) as the only American presidents who have ever been impeached; though President Richard M. Nixon (R) resigned after it became clear that there was bipartisan support for his impeachment.

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In both the Johnson and Clinton impeachments there were not enough votes to convict the President in the Senate. That same outcome is widely expected for Pres. Trump when the matter is considered by the Republican controlled Senate.

Byrne is a candidate for the Senate seat held by Doug Jones (D).

Brandon Moseley is a former reporter at the Alabama Political Reporter.

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