Daily World & wire services
Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, who represents Pacific County among her 3rd Congressional District, was one of 10 Republicans who joined all the House Democrats in voting to impeach President Donald Trump on Wednesday — a week after the president’s supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol.
Also on Wednesday, Rep. Dan Newhouse, another Republican who represents Washington’s 4th Congressional District, voted for impeachment.
Washington 5th District Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, also a Republican, was the lone congressional member from the state’s 10-member delegation to vote against impeachment.
“Truth sets us free from fear,” Herrera Beutler said during debate on the House floor Wednesday. “In my vote to impeach, I am choosing truth. It is the only way to defeat fear.”
Herrera Beutler, of Vancouver, said in a statement Tuesday that she “believe(s) President Trump acted against his oath of office, so I will vote to impeach him.
“The President’s offenses, in my reading of the Constitution, were impeachable based on the indisputable evidence we already have,” she wrote. “I understand the argument that the best course is not to further inflame the country or alienate Republican voters. But I am also a Republican voter. I believe in our Constitution, individual liberty, free markets, charity, life, justice, peace and this exceptional country. I see that my own party will be best served when those among us choose truth.”
Herrera Beutler’s statement cames almost a week after a mob of Trump supporters started a riot inside the Capitol, interrupting lawmakers during a joint session to certify Electoral College results and confirm Joe Biden’s presidential win. The attack led to the deaths of five people, including a Capitol police officer.
After the attack, Herrera Beutler wrote on Twitter that she “was on the House floor as the protestors overran police and pounded on the doors.”
She made a plea for Trump supporters to stand down.
“The reports you are hearing about the chaos, panic and dangerous actions by protestors are not exaggerations,” Herrera Beutler wrote. “I witnessed them. Is this the America we want to give to our children? A country of lawlessness and mob rule?”
Herrera Beutler supported Trump’s reelection last year, after saying she couldn’t vote for him in 2016. She issued no formal statements ahead of certifying the election, but told The Columbian she would vote to uphold the Electoral College results.
On Tuesday, she accused Trump of inciting the riot to “halt the peaceful transfer of power from one administration to the next.”
“Hours went by before the President did anything meaningful to stop the attack,” she wrote. “Instead, he and his lawyer were busy making calls to senators who were still in lockdown, seeking their support to further delay the Electoral College certification.”
When Trump finally denounced the violence, she added, his statement “served as a wink and a nod to those who perpetrated it.”
Meanwhile, Newhouse — from Yakima County — released the following statement Wednesday:
“Last week, hateful and un-American extremists stormed the U.S. Capitol, attacking both the structural embodiment of our Republic and the values we promote as citizens of this great nation. This violent mob, intent on disturbing the constitutional duties of Congress, resulted in the tragic loss of American lives, including a U.S. Capitol Police officer. The mob was inflamed by the language and misinformation of the President of the United States.
“This is a pivotal and solemn moment in our country’s history. I wholeheartedly believe our nation – and the system of government it was founded upon – may well be in jeopardy if we do not rise to this occasion. This is not a decision I take lightly.
“Turning a blind eye to this brutal assault on our Republic is not an option.
“A vote against this impeachment is a vote to validate the unacceptable violence we witnessed in our nation’s capital. It is also a vote to condone President Trump’s inaction. He did not strongly condemn the attack nor did he call in reinforcements when our officers were overwhelmed. Our country needed a leader, and President Trump failed to fulfill his oath of office.
“I will vote yes on the articles of impeachment,” Newhouse stated.
On Tuesday, Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, the No. 3 House Republican leader, surprised her party when she also announced she would vote to impeach Trump.
“On Jan. 6, 2021 a violent mob attacked the United States Capitol to obstruct the process of our democracy and stop the counting of presidential electoral votes,” Cheney, of Wyoming, said in a statement. “The president of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack. Everything that followed was his doing.”
(The Seattle Times contributed to this report)
