Updated at 10:07 p.m.
In a historic moment Wednesday night, U.S. Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) voted to impeach President Donald Trump.
Vermont’s sole delegate to the U.S. House joined a majority of his colleagues in seeking removal of the president. It marked the third time that an American president has been impeached.
Welch supported both articles up for a vote on Wednesday. The first accused Trump of abusing the powers of the presidency by seeking Ukrainian interference in the 2020 election. The second alleged that the president obstructed Congress’ investigation of the matter.
“It’s the most significant vote I have taken in Congress,” Welch told Seven Days earlier Wednesday. “It’s not difficult because the evidence is overwhelming.”
Speaking on the House floor that afternoon, Welch hailed what he called “our shared respect for the Constitution of the United States” and he accused Trump of violating its “bedrock principles.”
By seeking political favors from Ukraine, Welch said, the president had “willfully infringed upon the right of citizens to decide who will lead our nation — and in doing so, he placed himself above the law and in violation of his oath.”
When Trump failed to cooperate with the congressional investigation, Welch said, he “repudiated our constitutional system of checks and balances and further violated his oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution.”
Welch, who is serving his seventh term in Congress, called Wednesday’s votes “consequential and also very sad.” The impeachment process is “very traumatic for the country,” he told Seven Days. “It’s an extraordinary remedy that the founders provided in the Constitution to be used rarely — and this is a rare occasion.”
The Norwich Democrat spent more than two years resisting efforts by his party’s base to impeach the president. His position shifted in July, when he said that Trump’s refusal to yield to congressional oversight and his racist attacks on members of Congress merited impeachment.
Welch later played a central role in the process. In October, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, on which he serves, began deposing witnesses to the Ukrainian affair. In November, he participated in the committee’s public impeachment hearings.
Following Wednesday’s vote, the action now moves to the Senate, which can vote to acquit the president or remove him from office. Welch expressed skepticism that the upper chamber would conduct a fair trial, noting the Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has said that he is working closely with the White House on how to proceed.
“Even though he’s sitting as a juror, he’s coordinating with the defendant,” Welch said. “So it’s hard to be optimistic that there’s going to be anything on the level where Mitch McConnell is in charge.”
Nevertheless, Welch said he hoped that a simple majority of the Senate would vote to compel production of evidence and testimony from those closest to the president. “It’s pretty obvious that if the Senate wants to have a trial that’s based on evidence, they should seek evidence that they don’t have,” he said.
In written statements issued Wednesday night, Vermont’s two U.S. senators said they took seriously their responsibility to serve as impartial jurors in the Senate’s impeachment trial.
“Whether the Senate functions as a true court of impeachment as the Founders envisioned — steadfastly pursuing the truth and upholding our oaths to pursue impartial justice — or functions merely as President Trump’s legal defense team will define us for decades to come,” Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) said. “History will not look kindly upon those who place loyalty to this or any other president above our oaths to the Constitution.”
Leahy, the most senior member of the institution, said, “I have seen the Senate, at its best, rise to the occasion to be the conscience of the nation. If there ever were a time for the Senate to serve as the conscience of the nation, it is now.”
In his own statement, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) repeated his oft-stated assessment that Trump is “the most corrupt president in our history.”
“I call on Mitch McConnell to conduct a full and fair trial to hold this president accountable, and I am fully prepared to uphold my responsibility as a juror in the United States Senate,” Sanders said.
Disclosure: Paul Heintz worked as Peter Welch’s communications director from November 2008 to March 2011.
Related Stories
Got something to say?
Send a letter to the editor and we'll publish your feedback in print!
At least Peter can get some things right. Impeaching Trump is a no-brainer, unless you are a Putin-loving Trump supporter who wants to void the US Constitution and install the obese Orange One for life.
Republicans have collapsed into either a pathetic, cowardly sycophancy or a robotic, rabid gibberish spouting Russian talking points in defense of Trump. They are lawless and un-American. Moscow Mitch will make sure Trump is protected at all costs.
When capitalism fails Right Wing fascism follows, and that is where we are headed. Trump’s howling minions would rather burn down the country than to follow the rule of law.
Welch is the one to be impeached along with Leahy and socialist Sanders for the EB-5 scandal.. Welch is nothing but a traitor, a follower, and a coward.
He has no respect for our Constitution what so ever, nor does the so-called senators. Hell one of them calls himself a VT senator but he has been doing nothing but running around the country trying to run for president. instead of doing his job he was hired to do.
All these far-left democrats have been after Pres Trump from day 1. For 2 1/2 yrs, they have been trying to stop him. How can Leahy be senator of VT when he lives in VA?????
All 3 of these so-called officials only care about their pockets especially sanders.
Welsh is only proving what we already know; he’s a cowardly, partisan doing what partisans do best – ignore the facts and put party before country and constituents. Welsh is a lemming.
NorthOldEnder should visit his doc and get his meds adjusted.
Politically, the impeachment of Trump means as much as Clinton winning the popular vote.
Reaction to the impeachment just underscores that all conservatives are lacking in honesty, integrity, decency or honor. Facts don’t matter to conservatives, they are all driven only by hate and greed.
The Dems should be impeached for pre-empting Alex Trebek.
I see there are a lot of people in here that are drinking the fantasy kool aid trying to protect the liar, corrupt thing that is playing the president! Maybe if he’s given the boot by the senate, which is run by dumbass Moscow Mitch, they will wake up and see the reality… Either way the impeachment will always stay on his record and he won’t win the next election.
It’s interesting how many of the likes and dislikes in this paper are from Conservative and Republican sympathizers. (Welch is the one who should be impeached?) I feel you guys are swimming upstream. Why do you live here? Vermont is a Liberal-minded state, if you haven’t noticed. You might be happier where newspapers do not offend you. This will never be a conservative city, or state.
As a former Vermonter, I watched Congressman Welch speak during the hearing. He is nothing more than a lemming following the lead of his party. He offered nothing only the same line over and over. “No one is above the law.” How ironic. When the House set up their hearings the rules were set up so the Republicans couldn’t call key witnesses. Guilt by opinion and hatred does not count in this country as a crime. They failed in their ploy and wrote up these ridiculous articles of impeachment. The Senate will hold a trial and Trump will be acquitted. He will be re-elected by the Electoral College in 2020. I am fearful that Vermonters with representation like Welch, Leahy and Sanders in Washington and the far left leaning House and Senate in the State, will continue to suffer even though the rest of the country has a roaring economy.
So Charlie, why does everyone have to have the same thought leanings you do? You basically are saying anyone who is not leftist, liberal to move. If Vermonters had felt the same way when the influx of people like Bernie started, VT would be different but people were tolerant. Differences of opinion are healthy for democracy and why I do not like super majorities as there is no check and balance., but different opinions are scary at times.
Hi Mr. Concerned,
I didn’t mean that. I was saying that those who grumble about “all the liberals” here might enjoy living in states that are more to their liking.
I have never said everyone should think like me. Your comment was fine, by the way, except for that misunderstanding. I believe people should have different opinions.
If you check back, you’ll find twice as many “dislikes” for this comment than “likes”. Those are the folks I was addressing.
NorthOldEnder, not sure what planet you reside on, or maybe you don’t have any assets to manage, but Capitalsim with a CAPITAL C is flourishing under Trump. Credit him for reducing our country’s corporate tax rate to entice comapanies to come back, resume or start new businesses in the U.S. I live for the release of the Durham Report. And eventually the indictments, convictions and prison-time given to more than a handful of corrupt, hypocritcal, self-serving, blinded-by-hatred and jealousy of Trump Democrats who their adoring lapdog media wanabe movie stars will have to admit, do not look good in ORANGE jumpsuits.
Perhaps the best way for those on all sides of this issue to separate partisanship from principle is to substitute Obama in our minds for Trump and imagine if he had taken these same actions.
Then honestly ask ourselves what position we would now be taking.
So we have one poster here who suggests if we lifelong Vermonter’s don’t care for the liberal cesspool the “progressive” and democrats have created, then we should abandon our home state and move. That sounds very intolerant from those who preach tolerance.
It may be time for an intervention for NorthOldEnder, although it may be too late.
I think there is confusion. I had said that anyone expecting VT or Burlington to be Conservative will likely be frustrated, and said that perhaps they’d be happier where the majority is more to their liking. I had no intention to offend, or to tell people to move – only to say that it’s normal up here to find many liberal-thinkers.
I have heard many opinions – some say that those who mind the noise of the F-35 should move! Opinions are like that – they differ. Someone said Welch was a lemming – people say all kinds of things here – the most outrageous comments are usually from pseudonyms.
And pay no attention to Burisma, or China, or Biden family’s great good fortune for his Son. Massive money laundering with kickbacks to Hunter, and a host of Democrats is nothing. But looking into it… impeachable offense. I fully expect we will see our Democratic Delegates be subpoenaed, now that the pain is beginning. They have no place to hide. Grab your popcorn, enjoy the show.
Our elected officials will take our independence away ..Welch ,Leahy and Sanders
Are communists .The need control of food ,fuel ,and control our children’s minds.