Simpson Criticizes Impeachment Efforts

By NATHAN BROWN nbrown@postregister.com

Eastern Idaho’s congressman slammed the House Democrats’ efforts to impeach President Donald Trump on Tuesday, calling it “a dark day for our country.”

U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson’s comments came hours after House Democratic leaders unveiled two articles of impeachment against Trump, one charging him with abuse of power for pressuring Ukraine to investigate the son of former vice president and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and one for obstruction of justice for refusing to cooperate with Congress’ investigation.

The Democratic-majority House is expected to vote on the articles and likely impeach Trump soon — debate is scheduled to begin Wednesday — after which the impeachment will go to a trial in the Republican-majority Senate, which is expected to acquit Trump.

Simpson said he has “always advocated for the institution of Congress, for our Constitution and what it stands for,” including pushing to make sure Democrats were heard when the GOP had the congressional majority. He accused the Democrats and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., of having sought to impeach Trump since before he took office.

“Impeachment is to be used to remove a President for committing a crime, not for political gain, and certainly not to protest election results,” Simpson said. “My colleagues on the other side of the aisle know this full well, and yet, in an insult to the American people, they persist in their charade.”

Simpson said Trump has “safeguarded the economy despite Democrats’ relentless tactics, but one can’t help but imagine where we would be if Congress could work on the real issues our country faces: immigration, trade, and funding the government to name a few.

We have real work to do and this madness should come to an end.”

U.S. Rep. Russ Fulcher, who represents western Idaho, and U.S. Sens. Jim Risch and Mike Crapo have all also been critical of the impeachment inquiry in the past.

Crapo told the Idaho Press Tuesday he had yet to see anything impeachable and criticized the House process as overly partisan, while Risch’s spokeswoman Marty Cozza said he would comment “if and when impeachment proceedings move to the Senate and he has cast his official vote as a juror in the proceedings.”

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