Democratic Reps. Collin Peterson and Jeff Van Drew.
Oct. 31, 2019, 12:45 PM EDT
Two Democratic congressmen broke with their party Thursday to vote against the House resolution formalizing the rules and procedure for the impeachment inquiryinto President Donald Trump, a move that ushers in a new and public phase of the investigation.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., took the unusual step of presiding over the House during the vote. The resolution passed largely along party lines, 232-196.
Republican senators who were invited to lunch at the White House Thursday told reporters back on Capitol Hill that Trump pointed to the defections as proof of bipartisan opposition to the resolution.
"He mentioned the Democrats who voted no," Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said.
Van Drew, a freshman member, has consistently opposed impeachment. "Let the people choose," he told NBC News Thursday ahead of his "no" vote. Afterward, he released a statement detailing why.
"Without bipartisan support I believe this inquiry will further divide the country tearing it apart at the seams and will ultimately fail in the Senate. However, now that the vote has taken place and we are moving forward I will be making a judgment call based on all the evidence presented by these investigations," he said. "My hope is that we are still able to get some work done to help the American people like infrastructure, veteran’s benefits, environmental protection, immigration reform, reducing prescription drug cost, and strengthening Social Security.”
Sen. Jeff Van Drew speaks at a Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee meeting in Trenton, N.J., on Jan. 14, 2016.
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