House Democrat Brenda Lawrence Flips Back into Support of Impeachment After Expressing Hesitancy

Rep. Brenda Lawrence, D-Michigan, speaks at a news conference in the Capitol to call for a
CQ Roll Call via AP Images
Hannah Knudsen

House Democrat Brenda Lawrence (D-MI) flipped back into supporting the impeachment of President Trump after stating that she did not “see the value of taking him out of office.”

Lawrence, a House Democrat hailing from a desirable swing state, made waves in recent days after veering from her Democrat colleagues and suggesting that they censure Trump rather than impeach him.

“We are so close to an election. I will tell you, sitting here knowing how divided this country is, I don’t see the value of taking him out of office,” she said during an appearance on No BS News Hour with Charlie LeDuff.

“I do see the value of putting down a marker saying his behavior is not acceptable,” she continued.

“I want to censure,” she added. “I want it on the record that the House of Representatives did their job and they told this president and any president coming behind him that this is unacceptable behavior and, under our Constitution, we will not allow it.”

However, she took a sudden and swift reversal of that position in a statement released on Tuesday.

Per her statement:

I was an early supporter for impeachment in 2017. The House Intelligence Committee followed a very thorough process in holding hearings these past two weeks. The information they revealed confirmed that this President has abused the power of his office, therefore I continue to support impeachment. However, I am very concerned about Senate Republicans and the fact that they would find this behavior by the president unacceptable.

Her recent reversal falls back in line with what she told Sirius XM host Dean Obeidallah in October:

I feel strongly that for my legacy, for my time in history, sitting here at this table with an oath of office to protect this country, to protect the democracy of the United States of America, I cannot sit silent, that I must move forward with [impeachment] because this is egregious.

Lawrence’s flip flop follows a significant shift in public sentiments in regards to impeachment, with opposition continuing to grow and support dropping, as poll after poll has indicated.

COMMENTS

Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.