Congressman Daniel Webster has voted against a measure in the U.S. House of Representatives that would be the first step in impeachment of President Donald Trump.
The measure passed by a vote of 232-196 and lays out the ground rules for a possible impeachment process.
“Democrats’ actions have undermined due process and innocent until proven guilty. This resolution is merely one more attempt to deceive Americans by claiming it provides transparency and due process. In reality, this sham resolution does nothing to change the Democrats’ Soviet-style impeachment process,” said the Congressman who attended an appearance by Trump Oct. 3 at The Sharon L. Morse Performing Arts Center.
Webster said nothing in the resolution would prevent U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff or Democratic leadership from continuing to effectively block access and deny all sitting members of Congress access to review complete transcripts of witness interviews and other documents.
“With this resolution, in their zeal to overturn the results of the 2016 General Election, Democrats are merely doubling down on their tainted, secretive impeachment inquiry. Throughout my time in Congress, I have advocated for a more transparent, member-driven process. This soviet-style impeachment process is the opposite of what America’s Founding Fathers envisioned. For these reasons, I voted no on H.Res 660.”
Webster, a Republican who represents The Villages in the U.S. House of Representatives, said the Democrats’ impeachment resolution:
- Does not allow the president or his counsel to participate in proceedings before six of the seven impeachment committees.
- Restricts actions by Republican members to issue subpoenas and call witnesses to be subject to approval of House Democrats – who have already denied Republican committee members the ability to even ask questions of current witnesses.
- “Pretends” to require Chairman Schiff to hold a single public hearing, yet this is something he could have chosen to do from the start. “Instead he has been holed up in a secure room in the basement of the Capitol,” Webster said.
