How North Carolina’s delegation voted on Trump impeachment
The U.S. House of Representatives impeached President Donald Trump on Wednesday, as all 13 House members from North Carolina voted with their parties.
Republicans and Democrats debated for eight hours in widely televised hearings, ending with the approval of two articles of impeachment largely along party lines in the Democratic-controlled House.
Trump is just the third U.S. president to be impeached. A trial in the Republican-held Senate is expected early next year.
Rep. Alma Adams, a Charlotte Democrat, announced her support for the two articles Wednesday around noon, as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was opening debate.
“The evidence shows that the President put his interests above those of the country,” Adams said in a statement. “We must act quickly because President Trump’s behavior poses a clear and present danger to our democracy. His words and actions show that he is actively looking to interfere in next year’s election by any means necessary. We cannot stand for that kind of misconduct in our country’s Chief Executive.”
Delegation votes 10-3 against impeachment
The other Democrats in the delegation — Reps. David Price and G.K. Butterfield — had previously said they would support the articles of impeachment. Butterfield spoke on the House floor on Wednesday morning.
“Since taking office nearly three years ago, President Trump has consistently and intentionally divided this country. He has consistently encouraged foreign actors to interfere in our elections. He has thumbed his nose at the legislative branch,” Butterfield said. “Enough is enough. We must protect our constitution, our democracy.”
All 10 Republicans in the delegation voted against the measures.
“The Democrats have thrown the country into turmoil over an innocuous phone call. The articles of impeachment they now advance are a self-parody and a laughingstock. They reveal that the Democrats have no case and that they have lost their nerve,” Rep. Dan Bishop, a Mecklenburg County Republican, said in a statement Monday.
Quoting Alexander Hamilton
Republican Reps. Greg Murphy and Virginia Foxx both cited Alexander Hamilton’s writings in the Federalist Papers as they argued against the articles of impeachment. Hamilton wrote that in impeachment “there will always be the greatest danger that the decision will be regulated more by the comparative strength of parties, than by the real demonstrations of innocence or guilt.”
“In this statement, Hamilton warned us about the danger of mob rule,” Murphy said. “... “This is a tragic day in our nation’s history. We have individuals that hate this president more than they love this country.”
Said Foxx: “These empty baseless articles expose for the American people what this is: A desperate partisan attempt to avenge the loss of the Democrats’ preferred candidate in 2016.”
Debate over the rules for the vote lasted nearly three hours Wednesday. North Carolina’s delegation voted along party lines on the rules.
“Our founders’ vision of a republic is under threat from actions at the White House. That is why today as Speaker of the House, I sadly and solemnly open the debate on the impeachment of the president of the United States,” Pelosi said as she opened debate.
All of the North Carolina House members spoke on the House floor or issued statements about the vote. Here’s what every lawmaker said.
Rep. G.K. Butterfield (Democrat, 1st district) on the House floor
“I rise on this solemn occasion as we, the House of Representatives, exercise the power given to us by the United States Constitution. The original Constitution was flawed in some respects, but with respect to presidential misconduct it was unmistakable. The framers knew that presidents could be corrupt or abusive with their power and so impeachment was written into our organic laws.
“Since taking office nearly three years ago, President Trump has consistently and intentionally divided this country. He has consistently encouraged foreign actors to interfere in our elections. He has thumbed his nose at the legislative branch. Enough is enough. We must protect our Constitution, our democracy. I will vote today to refer serious charges against President Trump and deliver the charges to the Senate for trial, a place where President Trump can defend himself and attempt, if he chooses, to convince the Senate and the American people that his conduct does not violate the Constitution.”
Rep. George Holding (Republican, 2nd district) in a statement
“Months of investigations have failed to produce any clear, compelling and unambiguous evidence of impeachable high crimes or misdemeanors. The Articles of Impeachment are based on theory, hearsay and conjecture. I will be voting against them.
“The best place for the Democrats to express their disapproval with the President is the ballot box. In the meantime, Congress needs to stop playing games and get back to work.”
Rep. Greg Murphy (Republican, 3rd district) on the House floor
“I rise in opposition to these baseless articles of impeachment and the unprecedented process that’s been used in this effort to impeach the duly elected President of the United States. It is a mockery of American justice.
“In 1778, one of our founding fathers, Alexander Hamilton wrote in the Federalist Papers in many cases impeachment will connect itself with the pre-existing factions and in such cases there will always be the greatest danger the the decision will be regulated more by the comparable strength of parties, majority and minority, then by real demonstrations of innocence or guilt. What does this mean? It means that the majority can exert its influence, regardless of justice. In this statement, Hamilton warned us about the danger of mob rule.
“Democrats have a criminal and have been searching for a crime for three years. But this president has not committed a crime. As the leader of American foreign policy, the president has a constitutional obligation to root out corruption in countries to which we provide aid. This is not an abuse of power. It is his job. One of the articles is obstruction of Congress. The only thing that’s been obstructed is this president’s right to due process. I don’t blame the president for refusing to fully participate in this guilty-until-proven-innocent circus. This is not how our founding fathers framed American justice.
“This is a tragic day in our nation’s history. We have individuals that hate this president more than they love this country. Our country needs prayer and not this destructive partisanship.”
Rep. David Price (Democrat, 4th district) on the House floor
“The moment our founders anticipated in establishing the power of impeachment has arrived. The evidence is clear: President Trump abused his power by asking a vulnerable foreign leader to investigate both his political rival and a baseless Russian conspiracy theory while withholding congressionally appropriated defense aid and a coveted White House visit. He then blocked congressional investigation into these abuses.
“These abuses threaten the integrity of our elections, they corrupt our diplomacy, and they undermine national security.
“We sometimes regard constitutional ‘checks and balances’ as the indestructible underpinnings of our democracy. In fact, they’re not fixed, they’re not indestructible. The president has demonstrated this beyond all doubt. It’s up to the Congress, the first branch of government, to apply the remedy that the Constitution prescribes because the threats to our democracy are real and present. With this vote, we affirm that no one, including the president, is above the law.”
Rep. Virginia Foxx (Republican, 5th district) on the House floor
“I rise in strong opposition to the process and to the resolution. When Congress sees fit to examine its solemn power of impeachment, it is imperative that it does so in genuine pursuit of justice — fairly, transparently and objectively. Anything less is unacceptable. This partisan impeachment has fallen far short of that.
“Sadly, Alexander Hamilton’s prediction in Federalist No. 65 has come true. Where he warned that in many cases it will connect itself with the pre-existing factions and will enlist all their animosities, partialities, influence and interest in one side or the other, and, in such cases, there will always be the greatest danger that the decision will be regulated more by the comparative strength of parties than by the real demonstrations of innocence or guilt.
“After years of investigations, hearings and millions of taxpayer dollars, Democrats found no proof that the president committed a crime, no proof that the vague accusations in these articles clearly reflect a basic prerequisite for impeachment. Impeaching for high crimes and misdemeanors is a charge that an actual crime was committed. These empty baseless articles expose for the American people what this is: A desperate partisan attempt to avenge the loss of the Democrats’ preferred candidate in 2016. We must respect American voters and reject these articles.”
Rep. Mark Walker (Republican, 6th district) on the House floor
“When emotions supersede the facts, the conclusion is cataclysmic. Today we are wrapping up not a three-month process, but rather a three-year process with Democrats (who) disdain so much that it’s led to abuse of this very House. these are the same Democrats who promised America that they saw evidence of Russian collusion. Do the American people trust them? Hell no they don’t.
“A growing number of American people have condemned this impeachment process, and that’s with House Democrats setting the rules and then even bending and breaking the rules to fit their narrative. The majority of Americans see this circus for what it is. I wonder how many more will join them.”
Rep. David Rouzer (Republican, 7th district) on the House floor
“The Washington Post headlined the story immediately following President Trump taking the oath of office, stating: ‘The campaign to impeach President Trump has begun.’ How accurate they were. Here we are almost three years later and what we are witnessing today is unprecedented in American history. a very partisan based impeachment with no facts that warrant it. This is an impeachment based on hearsay and speculation, rooted in a deep seated hatred for a man for whom many of my colleagues on the other side detest. Not all, but many.
“Nowhere in the Constitution does it say that personal disdain is grounds for impeachment. At every turn the claims made by my Democrat colleagues have turned out to be false. Early on, it was claimed there was evidence of Russian collusion. There was none. We were told the FBI didn’t abuse the FISA process in its investigation of the Trump campaign. That, too, has now been proven completely false. Then when the Russian collusion hoax collapsed, we were told that we would hear from a whistleblower that had details of a nefarious call between the president and the president of Ukraine. Then we find out they weren’t even on the call and we still don’t know who the whistleblower is.
“We were told there was clear evidence of a quid pro quo for personal gain. After reading the transcript, it is obvious that you would have to make assumptions that wouldn’t even stand up in traffic court to make that claim. Instead the indisputable facts of records destroy their case and though they allege treason and bribery by the president, the articles we are considering today only make only make vague accusations of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress because they found no evidence of treason or bribery or anything else for that matter.
“Today is a very sad day for our republic. The country is now more divided than it ever has been in my lifetime. The truth has been trampled by this House of Representatives, and because of the abuses by the FBI and the Department of Justice more Americans have an even dimmer view of very important American institutions. Thankfully the the lens of history will ensure that the truth is told and will endure.”
Rep. Richard Hudson (Republican, 8th district) in a statement
“Our Founding Fathers warned of the impeachment process being abused for partisan purposes. In Federalist Papers No. 65, Alexander Hamilton warned, ‘there will always be the greatest danger that the decision will be regulated more by the comparative strength of parties, than by the real demonstration of innocence or guilt.’ Washington Democrats just passed two articles of impeachment with zero evidence President Donald Trump committed a crime or an impeachable offense.
“I’m incredibly disappointed Hamilton’s fears have come true – this partisan impeachment has been motivated by politics with zero evidence, facts, fairness or due process. It has been a sham from the start, and the American people are sick and tired of it. This is a dark time in America’s history if the new standard for impeaching a president is simply disagreeing with him or her politically.”
Rep. Dan Bishop (Republican, 9th district) in a statement
“The Democrats have thrown the country into turmoil over an innocuous phone call. The articles of impeachment they now advance are a self-parody and a laughingstock. They reveal that the Democrats have no case and that they have lost their nerve.
“After clamoring about bribery and extortion in sham hearings, the Democrats allege no bribery, no extortion, not a single crime. They say instead that the President they despise must be impeached because he asked Ukrainian President Zelensky to ‘find out what happened’ as to a Ukrainian role in originating the then-disproved lies that led to the now-established FBI FISA abuse against the Trump campaign and all that followed, and to ‘look into’ whether Vice President Biden ‘had a prosecutor … shut down.’
“The Democrats allege that these requests constituted an abuse of power, but President Zelensky on the call understood them as ‘actually the issue of making sure to restore the honesty.’ I respectfully disagree with the Democrats that ‘restoring honesty’ is an abuse of presidential power. It should be the object of presidential power. Consequently, I look forward to joining every Democrat who agrees and every Republican in voting against this partisan and corrupt abuse of the process of impeachment.”
Rep. Patrick McHenry (Republican, 10th district) on the House floor
“In 2016, 63 million Americans went to the polls and elected Donald Trump president of the United States. House Democrats have been trying to overturn the election ever since. In fact, they’ve tried five additional times to the one that’s before us to impeach the president, including the vote in May of 2017 just five months into his term.
“In January of this year House Democrats took control of this chamber and they were faced with a choice: They could use the tools of the majority to pursue the legitimate priorities of the American people, policies that can impact their lives, or they could use the tools to undo the 2016 election. They made their choice. Since then, House Democrats have issued more subpoenas than bills have been signed into law. That tells us all we need to know about this Congress and that party.
“Rather than launch a legitimate investigation, Democrats turned to focus groups to workshop their language to see if they could sell this to the American people, and the American people have rejected it. Instead of negotiating with the executive branch, for instance, and allowing the courts to resolve any legitimate disputes, House Democrats rushed an impeachment vote.
“So here we are 12 weeks later voting whether to impeach the president based off the thinnest record in modern history. It’s no surprise the Senate is already asking for additional witnesses and more documents and real evidence. The body of evidence is weak and woefully insufficient for impeachment.”
Rep. Mark Meadows (Republican, 11th district) on the House floor
“Today, as we sit here debating impeachment, they all want to talk about, ‘It’s the Constitution. It’s Alexander Hamilton.’ The last 30 days I’ve heard more about Hamilton from my Democrat colleagues and until then the the closest they ever came to Hamilton was a $10 bill. All of a sudden what we have are these strict constitutionalists on the other side of the aisle. Listen, this has nothing to do with the constitution, it has nothing to do with anything but raw politics. There’s only one person on the other side of the aisle that got seven Pinocchios for not telling the truth. No one on this side got that during this impeachment process.
“The American people need to understand two key facts. The Democrats in control set their own rules of evidence. They said what we need to do for impeachment is to have compelling evidence and bipartisan support. Well, they don’t have either of those two things. They failed the rules that they made up themselves.
“We’ve got President Zelensky of Ukraine saying there was no pressure. We’ve got the no. 2 guy in Ukraine saying there was no pressure. We’ve got the third guy in Ukraine, no pressure. These are the supposed victims of this alleged crime. And yet here we are supposedly having this compelling evidence and facts when the best witness they have, the very best witness they had, had to change his testimony twice. They mention him 611 times and ultimately, ultimately, he said I presumed that’s what the president meant.
“i can tell you that there are not facts here to support it. But what is more important than that is this, because here we are today, we have bipartisan opposition to impeachment, not bipartisan support. My colleagues opposite want the American people to think this is a sad and somber day. Well, this is a sad day. It’s a sad day for this institution.
“We’ve lowered the bar to impeach a president who continues to give us an economy that’s not only growing but growing at levels that we have never seen in the history of our country. When we look at unemployment at a level that is truly remarkable, they want to impeach. It’s another said day. What they’re doing is they’re telling the American people that 233 Democrats deserve to decide who the president of the US should be and disenfranchise 63 million voters.
“When all is said and done, when the history of this impeachment is written, it will be said that my Washington Democrat friends couldn’t bring themselves to work with Donald Trump so they console themselves instead by silencing the will of those who did, the American people.”
Rep. Alma Adams (Democrat, 12th district) in a statement
“After reviewing hours of testimony, countless pieces of evidence and the Administration’s own words and actions, I believe the case has been made that the President abused his power and obstructed Congress from fulfilling its constitutional duty. As such, I will support both articles of impeachment today on the House floor.
“The evidence shows that the President put his interests above those of the country. We must act quickly because President Trump’s behavior poses a clear and present danger to our democracy. His words and actions show that he is actively looking to interfere in next year’s election by any means necessary. We cannot stand for that kind of misconduct in our country’s Chief Executive.”
Rep. Ted Budd (Republican, 13th district) in a video posted on Twitter
“As a member of Congress there’s some votes that sometimes you struggle with. But today’s vote on impeachment is absolutely not one of them. What we’re seeing today is Democrats who did not prove their case, and they are simply trying to do now what they did not do at the ballot box in 2016. I think it’s time, once we get through this, we get back to the work for the American people.”
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This story was originally published December 18, 2019 at 12:23 PM with the headline "How North Carolina’s delegation voted on Trump impeachment."
