All five of Oklahoma's U.S. Representatives voted against the second impeachment of President Donald Trump yesterday, which passed the lower chamber by a vote of 232-197, with 10 Republicans joining the Democrats in approving the article.
I posted Congresswoman Bice's statement yesterday. Here are comments from the other four Oklahoma congressmen:
Hern votes against hasty impeachment, citing lack of investigation
WASHINGTON, DC – Representatives Kevin Hern (OK-01) released the following statement after voting against the articles of impeachment.
“There is not a single member of this House who supports the actions that took place here last week,” said Rep. Hern. “Those actions are inexcusable. Thousands of Americans came to Washington on January 6th to exercise their right to peacefully protest their government. The overwhelming majority of those present were freedom-loving Americans who took no part in the attack on the Capitol. Those who, instead, came with malicious intent and committed these serious crimes should be identified, apprehended, and prosecuted.
“While President Trump has less than a week left in his presidency, a Senate trial would likely take place after he has left office. An ex-post-facto impeachment would be nothing more than a fruitless action against a former President and would achieve nothing more than further deepening the divide that has gripped our nation.”
Rep. Hern continued, “Today’s vote also sets a dangerous precedent: this impeachment proceeded with zero investigations and zero hearings. This hasty rush to impeach a sitting President without any investigations should alarm all of us. President-Elect Biden has repeatedly said he seeks to heal this country – it’s time to do just that. However, today’s action did nothing but harden our divisions even further. I stand ready to find bipartisan solutions to the real problems facing our country. Impeaching President Trump from an office he no longer holds is not one of those problems.”
Mullin Opposes Article of Impeachment, Calls for Country to Come Together
Washington, January 13, 2021 | After voting against the Article of Impeachment today, Congressman Markwayne Mullin (OK-02) released a video calling for the country to come together to move forward.
Congressman Lucas Votes No on Impeaching President Trump
Washington, D.C. – Congressman Frank Lucas (OK-03) released the following statement after voting No on H.Res. 24, a resolution to impeach President Donald J. Trump:
“After listening to debate and taking into account the historic precedent that Congress has longed practiced when debating articles of impeachment- be it Presidents, a sitting Cabinet Secretary, or federal Judges- I believe the process demonstrated today in the U.S. House of Representatives will have disastrous constitutional effects and peculate Congress’ power to impeach future office holders. The rush to impeach the President today egregiously forgoes any committee process and is void of any due process.
“The ultimate blame for last Wednesday’s violent actions lies with those who attacked law enforcement, broke down the doors of the Capitol, and attempted to disrupt our democracy. For generations of Americans to come, I continue to pray we wake up to peaceful days ahead and healing for our Nation.”
Cole Votes Against Impeaching President Trump
Washington, D.C. (January 13th) – Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04) released the following statement after he voted against H. Res. 24, an article to impeach President Donald Trump for high crimes and misdemeanors.
“After the terrifying and traumatic attack that took place at the United States Capitol just a week ago, the American people desperately need to see hope and healing on our nation’s horizon. Impeaching President Donald Trump, who has conceded the election and will leave office in a week, is not the answer. Doing so will only worsen divisions nationwide.
“While I realize that emotions are running high and fear is a very real enemy right now, that does not provide cause for the House to abandon the institutional process for bringing the grave matter of impeachment to the floor. Such serious action should only come after fully reviewing and investigating all the facts, engaging expert witnesses and providing due process to the accused. This is necessary to ensure the American people have confidence in the procedures that govern the House now and for generations to come. Moreover, the presidency itself demands due process in impeachment proceedings.
“To be clear, the shameful perpetrators of the Capitol siege must and will be held accountable for their crimes and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Indeed, the president must also realize that his words carry meaning and accept responsibility for them. I hope that is a lesson every elected official remembers.”
Earlier today on the House floor, Cole made opening remarks during debate on the rule for the impeachment article. Full transcript is available here.
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