Ten members of the GOP joined with Democrats in the vote.
January 13, 2021, 11:22 PM
6 min read
The House of Representatives has voted to impeach President Donald Trump — making him the only president in American history to be impeached twice.
Unlike his first impeachment in 2019, 10 Republicans joined Democrats to charge Trump for the “incitement of insurrection” for his role in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol with a final vote of 232-197.
Some Republicans may have feared for their own safety if they voted for impeachment, Rep. Adam Kinzinger, one of those who voted against Trump, said. Kinzinger told ABC’s “Powerhouse Politics” podcast that some members of his party are likely holding back from voting for impeachment due to fear of highlighting their own participation in supporting the president’s false claims of election fraud.
Democrat Jason Crow, of Colorado, relayed similar thoughts in an interview with MSNBC on Wednesday morning.
“I had a lot of conversations with my Republican colleagues last night, and a couple of them broke down in tears talking to me and saying that they are afraid for their lives if they vote for this impeachment,” he said.
Here is a list of the 10 Republicans who took a stance against Trump:
Rep. John Katko, R-N.Y.
“To allow the President of the United States to incite this attack without consequence is a direct threat to the future of our democracy. For that reason, I cannot sit by without taking action. I will vote to impeach this president.”
Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill.
“It’s not going to be some ‘Kumbaya moment’ on the floor — it’s going to be an awakening by the American people to hold their leaders accountable to their rhetoric,”
Rep. Jamie Herrera Beutler, R-Wash.
“The president’s offenses, in my reading of the Constitution, were impeachable based on the indisputable evidence we already have. I understand the argument that the best course is not to further inflame the country or alienate Republican voters. But I am a Republican voter. I believe in our Constitution, individual liberty, free markets, charity, life, justice, peace and this exceptional country. I see that my own party will be best served when those among us choose truth. I believe President Trump acted against his oath of office, so I will vote to impeach him.”
Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash.
“Turning a blind eye to this brutal assault on our Republic is not an option.”
Rep. David Valadao, R-Calif.
“President Trump was, without question, a driving force in the catastrophic events that took place on Jan. 6 by encouraging masses of rioters to incite violence on elected officials, staff members, and our representative democracy as a whole.”
Rep. Peter Meijer, R-Mich.
“President Trump betrayed his oath of office by seeking to undermine our constitutional process, and he bears responsibility for inciting the insurrection we suffered last week,” he tweeted before the vote Wednesday.
Rep. Tom Rice, R-S.C.
Rice said in a statement, “I have backed this President through thick and thin for four years. I campaigned for him and voted for him twice. But, this utter failure is inexcusable.” Rice was one of the 139 House Republicans who voted to sustain an objection to certifying the election results. Rice angrily tweeted, “Where is the President!?” during the rioting at the Capitol last week.
Fred Upton, R-Mich.
Upton tweeted that Congress must hold the president “to account,” before he voted for impeachment. “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,” he said.
Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, R-Ohio
Gonzalez, who represents northeast Ohio, said Trump “helped organize and incite a mob that attacked the United States Congress” in a statement he released on Twitter.
Liz Cheney, R-Wyo.
Cheney, the House Republican conference chair, announced that she would be voting to impeach Trump Tuesday night.
“The President of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack,” she said. “Everything that followed was his doing. None of this would have happened without the President.”
