Some House Republicans reportedly oppose expunging former President Donald Trump’s impeachments, even as others work to make the Democrats’ impeachments nonexistent.
The House Republicans who oppose expunging the Democrats’ impeachments are “several moderate” members, Politico Playbook reported without specifying who.
“Several moderate House Republicans are loath to revisit Trump’s impeachments — especially the charges stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol,” the outlet wrote. “(In fact, though only 10 of their GOP colleagues voted with Democrats to impeach Trump after the Jan. 6 attack, several more wanted to but were too worried about threats to their offices and families to take the plunge.)”
In June, House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) introduced resolutions to expunge the impeachments.
Stefanik’s resolution aims to expunge Trump’s impeachment regarding January 6. She asserts the facts and circumstances upon which the House Democrats impeached Trump did not meet the burden of proving that Trump committed “high Crimes and Misdemeanors.” She also argues the impeachment did not establish that Trump engaged in an “insurrection or rebellion against the United States.”
Greene’s resolution focuses on Trump’s 2019 impeachment regarding the “perfect phone call.” Greene argues Trump was wrongfully accused of misconduct, demonstrated by the information revealed in the FBI informant document that alleges Joe Biden took a $5 million bribe. The resolution asserts the articles of impeachment did not meet the burden of proof of “high Crimes and Misdemeanors.”
But “moderate Republicans” reportedly oppose expunging the Democrat impeachment due to reelection concerns.
Politico Playbook reported:
[I]n a recent leadership meeting, moderate Republicans pushed back on the idea, arguing that any expungement vote would be poisonous to the reelections of members in JOE BIDEN-won districts — particularly given that polling suggests most Americans disapprove of Trump’s actions on Jan. 6.
The decision to hold a vote to expunge the impeachments is ultimately House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s. The outlet reported McCarthy promised Trump he would hold a vote to expunge before the August recess.
Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter @WendellHusebø. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality.
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