Loveland, Ohio – The Republican U.S. House members representing the Loveland area, Steve Chabot and Brad Wenstrup, voted today not to impeach President Donald Trump.
The President was however impeached for the second time. Today’s vote was:
231 YES
197 NO
5 NO VOTE
Ten Republicans joined Democrats in voting for impeachment.
Today’s vote was the second time in 14 months the Democratic-led U.S. House of Representatives has voted to impeach the president.
Senate Leader, Mitch McConnell has said that he supported the impeachment, however he has neither said whether he will vote for removing the President from office or when he will allow a Senate vote.
Chabot was one of the few Republicans who spoke today against impeachment during the House session. He did not address the allegations made against the President. He said he was against “snap impeachments”.
Here are Chabot’s remarks:
Wenstrup released the following statement after voting today against House Democrats’ articles of impeachment against President Trump:
EDITOR’S NOTE AND CORRECTION (1/15/21 9 PM):
Chris Krepich with Congressman Brad Wenstrup’s office contacted Loveland Magazine and informed us that the story we published “President impeached: Chabot and Wenstrup vote “NO” and dated 1/13/2021 “contains an old quote from Congressman Wenstrup regarding a different impeachment.” We apologize to the Congressman and our readers.
Here is the correct statement:
Washington, January 13, 2021
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, Congressman Brad Wenstrup (OH-02) issued the following statement after voting against an article of impeachment against the President:
“President-elect Joe Biden will be sworn in as the 46th President of the United States after running on a promise of uniting the country. Putting the country through another impeachment process in the last week of the President’s term in office will only further divide us. Public officials across the political spectrum need to collectively lower the temperature of our nation. We would best serve our constituents and the country by ensuring an orderly and peaceful transfer of power, rather than forcing through the House a rushed and inherently political impeachment.
“Democratic leadership has stated they may delay transmitting the article of impeachment to the Senate for up to 100 days, and the Senate has already stated they cannot take up an impeachment trial until after President-elect Biden has been sworn in. Impeachment is a grave power; it must not be exercised in haste.
“Investigations into the tragic events of January 6th are still ongoing. The facts of the day have not been fully uncovered. However, it is already clear that many came to Washington, D.C., prepared for violence before any words were spoken at the morning rally. It would be prudent to wait for all of the facts to come to light if we are to properly evaluate the gravity of the situation. If Members of Congress want to build a serious and credible case against President Trump, they should wait until we have a complete, factual understanding of what transpired. Given these concerns and limitations, I cannot support this impeachment that is markedly short of due process.
“In the wake of these events, our nation – all of us – must take a deep breath and do some soul searching. Every individual American needs to take a long look in the mirror and examine what we say, how we say it, and the actions we take.
“Last Wednesday’s extremely egregious events did not happen in a vacuum. Our country has seen escalating political violence in recent years, and individuals are responsible for the actions they take. Unfortunately, I am no stranger to that political violence, having survived the politically-motivated shooting by a far-left extremist inspired by Bernie Sanders on a baseball field four years ago. I chose then to not – and still do not – hold Senator Sanders responsible.
“Ultimately, everyone is responsible for their own actions. I said that then, I said that during the riots of the past summer, and I say that again now.
“Nobody should be encouraging or excusing violent riots of any sort, whether they gripped our cities last summer or infiltrated our Capitol last week. We cannot continue to say things like, ‘You create a crowd. And you push back on them’; ‘you have to go to the streets and be as violent as Antifa, BLM’; and, ‘People do what they do.’ Our words matter, and we cannot give encouragement or acceptance of violent behavior.
“President Trump’s actions and words during the violence last Wednesday were inappropriate. He failed to quickly and unequivocally condemn the violence wrought upon the Capitol, which was bravely defended by our selfless Capitol Police Officers. Today, the President’s legacy is already entrenched in the minds of every American, as is the legacy of all those who have called for or committed violence in America.
“The course we are on today will only cause more division rather than the unity we need. I will continue to work toward a more perfect union with peace, prosperity, liberty, and justice for all.”
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Tyler Buchanan with the Ohio Capital Journal said this afternoon that Chabot voted against certifying the Electoral College count of Pennsylvania, citing baseless claims that widespread fraud led President-elect Joe Biden to win that state. Chabot’s vote was made just a few hours after insurrectionists stormed the U.S. Capitol, a riot that left five dead.
Marty Schladen reports in the Ohio Capital Journal that Ohio Gov. Mike Dewine called up the National Guard yesterday preparing for a possible attack on the Ohio Statehouse. Threats have been made that armed protests are planed for this Sunday and in conjunction with the Jan. 20 inauguration
DeWine said he was activating 500 members of the Ohio Guard to protect the Statehouse and the U.S. Capitol. The Ohio Capital is currently being boarded up to prevent unauthorized entrance. The FBI reports that armed-protests are planned in all 50 states.
You can report suspicious activities and crime by contacting your local FBI office 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also submit a tip electronically at tips.fbi.gov. You can contact the local FBI field office at:
2012 Ronald Reagan Drive
Cincinnati, OH 45236
cincinnati.fbi.gov
(513) 421-4310
Schladen reports that DeWine said he would activate more members of the Guard if its commander recommends it or if Ohio mayors request a Guard presence in their cities. It “would certainly be our worst fear,” if Capitol Square in Columbus comes to resemble the scene in D.C. last week, the governor said.
Contact your local FBI office or submit a tip electronically if you have information about:
- Possible acts of terrorism, including violence, funding, or recruitment;
- Persons sympathetic to terrorists or terrorist organizations;
- Suspicious activities that you believe threaten national security, especially suspicious activities that involve foreign powers or foreign organizations;
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Both Chabot and Wenstrup are enablers of the horrible behaviors of Mr. Trump and they do not have the guts to buck most of the GOP because fear of political retribution rather than standing up for ethical behaviors. Thank God the GOP will be changing thanks to folks like Mr. Romney, Ms. Murkowski, and the 10 Republicans who voted for the moral thing yesterday. Make American great again by returning to the Reaganesque Rep Party, not the current GOP. What will Portman do, will he continue his ways and not show guts or will he join Romney with ethical (right versus wrong) decisions? We shall see.