Mary Margaret Olohanon
Only two Democratic congressmen voted “no” on a resolution formalizing an impeachment inquiry Thursday: New Jersey Rep. Jeff Van Drew and Minnesota Rep. Collin Peterson.
Congress voted Thursday to open an impeachment inquiry with a vote ending 232 in favor of the impeachment inquiry and 196 against. Not a single Republican voted yes.
Van Drew warned that impeachment will “further divide the country” in a statement he released following the vote, according to NorthJersey.com.
“However, now that the vote has taken place and we are moving forward I will be making a judgment call based on all the evidence presented by these investigations,” he said in the statement. “My hope is that we are still able to get some work done to help the American people like infrastructure, veteran’s benefits, environmental protections, immigration reform, reducing prescription drug cost, and strengthening Social Security.”
The New Jersey representative stole a GOP seat in 2018 and might face a tough re-election year, the publication reported. Voters in Van Drew’s district largely voted for President Donald Trump in the 2016 election.
Peterson is one of only two Democrats remaining in the House who voted to authorize the impeachment of former President Bill Clinton, according to Fox News. The Minnesota representative comes from Minnesota’s Congressional District 7, a district that largely voted for Trump in the 2016 election — and no other House Democrat comes from a district more supportive of Trump, the Duluth News Tribune reported.
This article is republished with permission from the Daily Caller News Foundation.