U.S. Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) won applause in Montpelier Monday night for his call to impeach Donald Trump, but he also got pushback from citizens worried that such a move would aid the president’s reelection effort.
Holding forth in a Statehouse filled with dozens of vociferous Trump foes, Vermont’s only voice in the U.S. House of Representatives outlined how his “enormous reservation” about impeachment had recently given way to his belief that lawmakers need to act.
“I’ve become increasingly alarmed that the guardrails of our democracy are under attack,” Welch said.
Welch cited Trump’s refusal to cooperate with congressional investigations into issues such as the crisis at the southern border as well as what he called the administration’s efforts to “derail” the investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller into election interference by Russia.
But he said he was most disturbed by the way four female members of color in the House had been singled out by the president, who said they could go back to the countries they’d come from if they didn’t appreciate this one.
“None of us have the right, least of all the highest elected official in the country, to attack people because of who they are,” Welch said. “No one has the right to tell a person that they should go back to where they came from.”
Indeed, it was that attack last week that prompted Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) to try to force a vote on impeaching the president — a measure that, for the first time, Welch backed.
In an effort to head off a direct vote on impeachment, House Democratic leaders succeeded in tabling the resolution. Welch was one of 95 members who voted to continue the impeachment inquiry.
Many of Welch’s denunciations of Trump and explanations for why he felt impeachment was required were met with warm applause from residents who filled the Vermont House chambers.
Montpelier resident Gianna Petito said she worried that the country’s democracy was being “aggressively stolen from we the people.”
“I am terrified for the future of this democracy, and democracy around the world,” she lamented, her voice cracking with emotion. “You have my full support.”
Susan Walbridge of Montpelier read a scathing indictment painting Trump as dishonest, insecure and narcissistic, and of the Republican party as lacking the backbone to stop him.
“I am for impeachment! Thank you for being here,” she said to Welch.
But several other residents expressed horror at the idea that an unsuccessful impeachment bid would provide Trump just the platform he needs to win another term.
Such a tactic was “very dangerous” given that the Senate’s GOP majority would never go along with impeachment and it would allow Trump to “play us, like he’s been playing us for 30 months,” said Miriam Hansen of East Montpelier.
“If we do it prematurely, we’ll play into his hands, and I’m very concerned about that,” she said. “The only thing I care about is winning!”
John Turner said he appreciated Welch’s desire for impeachment, but worried that it would turn into a “sideshow” and something that “probably can’t be pulled off.”
“Our focus needs to be, the man needs to be voted out of office in November of 2020, and we need to do everything as a Democratic Party to ensure that happens,” Turner said to loud applause.
There were a few signs of support for Trump in the room.
One man, who said he was a veteran and proud of the military’s support of “the homeland,” held his phone up as though taking a video as he repeatedly pressed Welch on what “high crimes and misdemeanors” Trump had committed.
Welch again outlined how he felt Trump was obstructing congressional inquiries: “The president is acting as though he’s above the law and beyond the law when he completely rejects the Article 1 responsibilities of oversight of the House of Representatives.”
A man wearing a Make America Great Again hat, who would give his name only as Chad, defended the president. He said he appreciated Trump’s strength, honesty and business acumen and claimed Barack Obama had been “running the country into the ground.” He concluded vaguely that Welch “didn’t give enough probable cause” for Trump’s impeachment.
After his remarks, Welch denied that he had called for Trump’s impeachment only after the president targeted his House colleagues. While he denounced the president’s remarks, he noted that the congresswomen who Trump targeted are “relatively empowered people.”
Welch said he was more concerned about the fear that Trump is instilling in those with less power, such as immigrant populations.
While the effect of Trump’s offenses has been cumulative, it was his reelection speech that convinced Welch that Trump had to go.
“It became crystal clear that he was going to double down on this approach of division,” Welch said.
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In my opinion, instead of continuing to litigate 2016, we should be preparing for 2020.
Someone recently put forth the metaphor to me, which I continue to reuse, that driving a car while looking in the rear view mirror just increases the likelihood that you’ll run into something ahead of you.
2020 is next year. 2016 is fading into the past. I’m not saying we ignore the last few years, but if we think that Trump should have never been elected (2016) then we should do what we can to put forth a reasonable alternative so that someone else will be elected next (2020). Also, if we think that the Russian government, reasonably accused of interfering in the last election (2016) has remained idle and won’t try even harder in the next election (2020), then we’re fooling ourselves.
Don’t ignore the past, but the future is coming and we need to be ready for it.
So Mr. Welch visits the eco chamber, gets a partisan pat on the back, and accomplishes nothing in the process.
This is what passes for leadership in Vermont these days. Sad.
So the day after pelosi ended the house effort to impeach, Welch suddenly announces that hes now pushing for impeachment. His announcement is a well timed stunt to increase anti-trump support before the next election while trying to being careful not to anger Trumps base.
Although Im not a Trump supporter, Welch is playing the same game in concert with Pelosi to simply smear an opponent and win support in the next election.
Pure and simple.
What a lot of people fail to remember or understand is that Trump actually LOST the popular vote and that considering all the nefarious stuff Russia was doing on his behalf, he was most likely not legitimately elected. That means, he’s not actually president and he’s probably guilty of some very serious crime(s). Pretty simple, really.
“Although Im not a Trump supporter, Welch is playing the same game in concert with Pelosi to simply smear an opponent and win support in the next election.”
Smear an opponent? Shall we even attempt to count all the people Donald Trump has wrongly smeared, including, most recently, four U.S. congresswomen? For the terrible crime of not being white male Republicans of northern European ancestry? These posts have a 300-word limit, so it would not be possible in a single post to list all of the people Trump has smeared, lied about, or name-called.
Trump is a racist, bigot and a pedophile or rapist and should have never been elected! All of the people who stick up for him should get some brains… He’s made this country a laughing stock and looks up to the dictators!!
Shall we even attempt to count all the people Donald Trump has wrongly smeared
No doubt. My point is Welch isnt above the Frey. Hes positioning his argument and carefully framing it to benefit his party before the next election. I dont see a halo floating above the cranium of either man.
Do you?
Welch is calculating – his congressional pension.
He couldn’t care less about your situation.
Or about Trump.
How deep is the deep end of the deep state? It appears to be virtually bottomless.
Top Romney Adviser Worked With Hunter Biden On Board Of Ukrainian Energy Company
https://thefederalist.com/2019/09/26/top-r…
Oracle, there was a two-and-a-half year, $25 million investigation, in which literally hundreds of witnesses were subpoeaned….it failed to turn up any evidence that President Trump colluded with Russia to influence the 2016 election. All that effort and manpower – and not one scintilla of evidence. It’s mind-blowing that you’re still harping on that.
This new impeachment noise is the Dems’ last desperate effort to make an impact in 2020. It will also fail spectacularly.
Now with the release of the Horowitz report, it should be abundantly clear how the “deep state” was conspiring against Trump from the get -go totally supported by MSM and talking heads on late night TV.. The FBI and DOJ’s 17 significant areas of so-called “mistakes” and “errors” is astoundingly damning. What’s even more astonishing is Comey having been spewing his BS to the MSM the past 3 years saying the FISA process was done correctly etc. What a load of garbage. Time for Comey to be fitted for an orange jump suit. Looking forward to the full body of evidence to come to light from Durham’s investigation. We need four more years to give Trump time to continue cleaning out the swamp.