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Michigan GOP Congressman Fred Upton: ‘I will vote to impeach’

In a statement, Upton says ‘Enough is enough’

FILE - In this Oct. 4, 2019 file photo, Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., is seen at U.S. Capitol in Washington. For more than 30 years and under five presidents, Upton has easily won re-election to his southwest Michigan House seat by touting "common-sense values" and bipartisan accomplishments. But then came the hyper-polarized politics of the Trump era. Now no one, including Upton, really knows what the future holds for him heading into the 2020 election. (Anna Moneymaker/Pool via AP) (Anna Moneymaker)

WASHINGTON – Michigan GOP Congressman Fred Upton of St. Joseph said he will vote to impeach President Donald Trump.

Upton is the first Republican member of the state’s delegation of U.S. House to say he will vote for impeachment.

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In a statement, Upton said:

“Today the President characterized his inflammatory rhetoric at last Wednesday’s rally as ‘totally appropriate,’ and he expressed no regrets for last week’s violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. This sends exactly the wrong signal to those of us who support the very core of our democratic principles and took a solemn oath to the Constitution. I would have preferred a bipartisan, formal censure rather than a drawn-out impeachment process. I fear this will now interfere with important legislative business and a new Biden Administration. But it is time to say: Enough is enough.

The Congress must hold President Trump to account and send a clear message that our country cannot and will not tolerate any effort by any President to impede the peaceful transfer of power from one President to the next. Thus, I will vote to impeach.”

Other Republican members of Congress, such as Rep. Liz Cheney from Wyoming, announced that they also plan on voting for impeachment. New York Rep. John Katko was the first Republican to say he’d vote to impeach Trump.

Vice President Mike Pence is ruling out invoking the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from power, less than a week after the riot at the U.S. Capitol.

In a letter late Tuesday to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Pence said the mechanism should not be used “as a means of punishment or usurpation” and reserved for cases of medical or mental incapacitation.

Pence encouraged Congress to avoid actions to “further divide and inflame the passions of the moment” and to focus on smoothing the transition to President-elect Joe Biden’s administration.


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About the Author
DeJanay Booth headshot

DeJanay Booth joined WDIV as a web producer in July 2020. She previously worked as a news reporter in New Mexico before moving back to Michigan.

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