Two of Utah’s representatives in Washington have made statements regarding the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the two charges Tuesday morning, and a full House vote is expected by Christmas.
Rep. Ben McAdams, D-Utah, said he doesn’t know how he’ll vote. The moderate is reportedly part of a group of politically vulnerable Democrats who have suggested the U.S. House of Representatives censure President Trump rather than impeach him.
Politico reports a group of roughly 10 Democratic representatives from districts that Trump won in 2016 are floating the longshot idea in order to avoid a Senate trial. Some in the group are worried a trial could make the Republican Party more popular in the run up to the 2020 election.
A spokeswoman for McAdams was unable to confirm that the congressman is part of that group, but McAdams said in a statement that he will “take the necessary time to review all the evidence and documents in advance of the final articles being referred to the full House.”
Meanwhile, Rep. John Curtis, R-Utah, released a video statement via Twitter in which he opposed both articles of impeachment.
“I’m actually rather surprised,” he said. “The two articles of impeachment have made this an easy decision for me.”
Curtis said that while he was not happy with the president’s actions, his bar for impeachment is “incredibly high,” adding that he would not have voted to impeach former President Bill Clinton in 1998.
This morning, House Democratic Leadership announced the articles of impeachment that have been drafted against President Trump. Here are my thoughts and first reactions. #impeachment101 #utpol pic.twitter.com/7FlrHgW1I7
— Rep. John Curtis (@RepJohnCurtis) December 10, 2019
Utah Reps. Chris Stewart and Rob Bishop have yet to make any public statements regarding impeachment or respond to KUER’s requests for comment.