CLEVELAND — On Wednesday night the House of Representatives voted to impeach President Donald Trump.
The vote on Article 1 was 230-197, with all Republicans against the resolution and two Democratic defectors joining them.
The vote on Article 2 was 229-195, with all Republicans against the resolution and three Democratic defectors joining them.
All of the representatives in Ohio voted along party lines on both Articles of Impeachment.
Here are statements and reactions from Ohio's representatives:
"Hearsay and speculation are never enough to support the mighty weight of a presidential impeachment. The impeachment of President Trump is unique in American history because it represents the first impeachment in our nation’s history where not a single piece of direct evidence of criminal action has been presented or alleged. House Democrats are not accusing the President of breaking a single law. Rather they are accusing him of “abuse of power,” a concept so subjective that it must require the highest standard of direct proof. On this, the House majority has failed. Taking a step back, my biggest fear for today’s vote is that we have just lowered the bar for all future impeachments such that every president hereafter will be subject to similar proceedings. We pursued a partisan process, achieved a partisan outcome, and ripped open old wounds as we engaged in a partisan war. Our conduct and today’s vote achieved the very thing that our founders sought to avoid – a political exercise that carries little weight, divides the country, and is ripe with abuse." - Republican Congressman Anthony Gonzalez
“Members of Congress swear a solemn oath to protect and defend our Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic. Today, we fulfilled our Oath. No person runs for Congress with the desire to impeach a President – I certainly did not. For the sake of our democracy, we pray impeachment is never necessary. But like so many patriotic Americans in Northern Ohio and communities across the country, I am deeply concerned by President Trump’s systematic betrayal of our values and national security in favor of our adversary Vladimir Putin. Putin has sought to sow disarray and destabilize our democracy and the NATO Alliance. He has coordinated murders, election hacking, propaganda, and the entrapment of willing fools who would put their own self-interests over liberty – President Trump among them. At Putin’s direction, Russia illegally invaded Ukraine in 2014. As Ukrainians defend Europe’s eastern flank, 14,000 have already died at Putin’s hand with over 2 million more displaced. At home and abroad, President Trump has failed to defend our Constitution or be a champion for liberty. Rather than stand up to Putin, President Trump has aided him – first in hastening Russian interference in our 2016 election, and more recently, by withholding vital military aid from Ukraine to extort their interference in our 2020 election for his personal gain. President Trump is guilty of abusing his power and strengthening America’s adversaries. He has repeatedly obstructed Congress in his failure to comply with lawful subpoenas. His actions have subverted U.S. national interests and emboldened Putin. I would like my constituents to know that a vote for impeachment is not one that has been whipped up by Democratic leadership – from its start, it has been driven by the public. Our office has fielded hundreds of calls from citizens urging impeachment. It has taken the strong moral courage of whistleblowers, public servants, veterans, and legislators to bring us to this solemn moment in our nation’s history, but first and foremost it was the president’s own actions that started us down this unfortunate path. No one is above the law, not even the president. Donald Trump is a threat to our republic and should be removed from office without delay. In defense of our democracy, I have voted to impeach President Donald Trump. Onward Liberty.” - Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D)
“As a Member of Congress, I swore before God and country to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. With that oath in mind, today I voted to impeach the President based on the evidence of his abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The corroborated, undisputed facts on the record show the President ignored national security and other vital national interests for an improper personal political benefit when he enlisted a foreign power to corrupt our democratic elections. The official and public records clearly lay out the President’s numerous defiant attempts and overt actions to obstruct Congress’ investigation into his abuses of power. The President betrayed the public interest, undermined our national security, attempted to corrupt our free and fair elections – the cornerstone of American democracy – and refused to comply with constitutionally mandated Congressional oversight. These acts of betrayal cannot stand. I proudly stood with my colleagues and defended our Constitution today. No one, not even the President of the United States, is above the law." - Rep. Marcia Fudge (D)
“In my short time in Congress, I never expected to witness a historically shameful event like today’s vote. This entire impeachment process has uncovered zero evidence of wrongdoing and is based on nothing but second-hand recollections, conjecture, presumptions, and assumptions. At no point have House Democrats allowed a fair process, from Adam Schiff’s dishonesty about contact with the so-called whistleblower, to the shifting allegations Democrats have used based on focus groups. The articles of impeachment House Democrats just passed have not just lowered the bar, they’ve eliminated it. With no factual evidence, they’re setting a dangerous precedent pushing forward with vague and ultimately meaningless charges. House Democrats have trivialized the impeachment process over a political vendetta they have pursued since before President Trump was sworn in. This is a dark day for our nation." - Congressman Bob Gibbs (R)
To view an interactive chart of how representatives across the country voted, including in Ohio, click here.
