by James Jordan, Sumner Newscow — The vote to impeach President Trump went along party lines for the most part, but 10 Republicans broke ranks and voted for impeachment. The four members of Congress from Kansas voted along party lines as expected.

Ron Estes

Republicans Ron Estes, Tracey Mann, and Jake LaTurner, all voted against impeachment.  Kansas lone Democrat in Congress, Sharice Davids, voted for impeachment.

After voting against impeachment, Estes released a statement calling the move a “partisan gimmick.” He said Speaker Nancy Pelosi gave them only two hours to discuss the impeachment. He said there were no testimonies, no witnesses, and no deliberations. He said they bypassed “standard House processes.”

While he was opposed to impeachment, he supports a full investigation and prosecution of those involved in the protests last week at the capitol.

“The riots that occurred at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 were despicable and un-American. I fully support a complete investigation into the events that occurred and agree that those involved should be held personally responsible but oppose a rushed, impeachment show trial.” He wrote.

He said Congress should work on things that unite us, and not create even more division with an impeachment.

“This Congress should instead be focused on reopening our country and getting the economy back to full speed again. The families and small businesses which have suffered because of the coronavirus need real leadership in Congress, not partisan gimmicks.”

Only one “article of impeachment” was presented, and that was one that accused the President of inciting the riots and violence that happened last Wednesday, Jan. 6, while Congress was counting Electoral Votes that would make the election of Joe Biden official. At the time some congress members were voting against accepting votes from states that had been close in voting, and those that Trump claimed had problems.

It is perhaps odd that Congress wants to impeach Trump, because his term ends on Jan. 20, just a week after the vote was taken to impeach. Democrats said they did this to make sure Trump cannot run again.

From here the case will go to the Senate, where it may or may not pass. The Senate may now vote on whether to remove Trump from office. That alone will not bar Trump from running again. If the Senate approves of the impeachment, it could then vote to bar him from running again. If impeachment is approved in the Senate, another vote would have to be taken to remove some of Trump’s benefits that a past president gets.

The Senate is unlikely to take up the matter before Trump’s term ends, meaning the Senate trial would take place after Trump leaves office and Biden is sworn in.

Some in the Senate want to give Biden a chance to get settled before taking up impeachment.  Two-thirds of the Senate would have to vote for impeachment for it to pass there, and that means some Republicans would have to break ranks and vote with the Democrats. Some have said they will.

Three presidents have been impeached by Congress. Andrew Johnson in 1868, Bill Clinton in 1998, Trump was impeached last year, and Richard Nixon resigned before final impeachment in 1974. None of those were convicted in the Senate and removed from office.

Trump will be the first president to be impeached twice.

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