NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — President Trump became the third U.S. President to be impeached in the nation's history Wednesday night. The House voted to impeach him on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of congress.
Multiple Tennessee lawmakers sounded off about the historic vote.
Rep. Mark Green:
“Today is a tragic day for our Nation. The left has never been able to accept the verdict of the American people in the 2016 election. They hate President Donald Trump. They hate what 63 million Americans voted for. The President didn’t commit an impeachable offense. The American people who elected him didn’t do anything wrong. We’re going to continue to stand for democracy. We’re going to continue to stand against what the left is trying to do. It’s tyranny. The American people will hold Democrats responsible for their unceasing attacks on this President. They have subverted the will of the people and have trampled upon our Constitutional order.”
Sen. Marsha Blackburn:
“For the past three years, we have seen Democrats grasp aimlessly at every unsubstantiated claim hoping they would find an impeachable offense. There is a reason the only bipartisan vote in the House today was against impeachment. President Trump has not abused his power – but House Democrats certainly have. This process has been a sham, and when the trial begins in the Senate, Tennesseans can count on me to stand with President Trump.”
Rep. Scott Desjarlais:
“Today was Democrats’ fourth attempt to impeach the President, since Nancy Pelosi became House Speaker. The Radical Left may have succeeded in impeaching Donald Trump this time, on a purely partisan vote, but have failed to convince Americans this is anything other than a stunt to distract from their socialist agenda and weak presidential candidates – the real abuse of power. Fortunately, the Founders understood the potential for legislative over-reach and placed checks and balances into our system. The Senate will end this waste of time, and we can move on to important business, such as passing the USMCA trade deal and improving an economy that is already very strong.”
Rep. Jim Cooper released a statement before the vote on why he would vote to impeach the president, saying in part:
"...the evidence against Trump is overwhelming. John Bolton apparently called Trump’s Ukrainian policy a “drug deal” and the President’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, a “hand grenade.” Trump’s former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, is already in prison, as is the President’s campaign manager, Paul Manafort. The President’s former top national security advisor, Michael Flynn, is on his way to prison. Is it possible that so many of the President’s top advisors were criminals but he knew nothing of their wrongdoing? The President’s former chief of staff, Admiral John Kelly, warned him that he was headed for impeachment."
