The House Judiciary Committee is expected to debate and vote on two articles of impeachment of President Trump later this week. That could lead to an impeachment vote in the full House by Christmas. So what does Congressman Fred Upton think? He told us Tuesday afternoon he hadn’t yet read the articles alleging abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, but it seems to him as though the House is on the march to bring the articles to the floor.
“Let’s face it. The Speaker has the votes to do what she wants to do, and in this particular case, a number of my Democratic colleagues announced that they were for impeachment even before they were sworn into the Congress. They’ve been on that march for some time.”
Upton says “the president’s defense has been, like many presidents, executive authority,” and that’s why there are three branches of government to resolve differences.
“I would note that the last couple of months, the focus has been on quid pro quo, it’s been on treason, it’s been on bribery. None of those are actually, as I understand it, in these articles that they released. They’re talking about abuse of power, obstruction of justice.”
Upton says he’s anxious to learn more about the articles of impeachment. However…
“I didn’t think that, necessarily, what the president did was appropriate, but at the end of the day, the aid to Ukraine was released.”
With the removal of the president from office now a possibility, Upton says House members have to consider a key question.
“The question is, is this worthy of removal from office, versus being inappropriate, and I think most Republicans, if not all, at least thus far have come to the conclusion that it’s not worthy of removal.”
After a House vote on the articles of impeachment could come a Senate trial, likely in 2020. Senators would act as jurors and
select House members to act as prosecutors, or impeachment managers. If the Senate approves an article of impeachment with a two-thirds vote of “guilty,” the president is convicted and removed from office. If articles are rejected, the president is acquitted.
