Two Colorado Democratic Congress members have been tapped to oversee a possible second impeachment trial of President Donald Trump.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi chose Rep. Diana DeGette, dean of the state’s delegation, and Rep. Joe Neguse as impeachment managers. Rep. Jason Crow was an impeachment manager in the first impeachment trial of Trump last January. DeGette and Neguse are two of the nine Democrats chosen by the speaker this time around.
“It is their constitutional and patriotic duty to present the case for the President’s impeachment and removal,” Pelsoi said in a statement. “They will do so guided by their great love of country, determination to protect our democracy and loyalty to our oath to the Constitution. Our Managers will honor their duty to defend democracy For The People with great solemnity, prayerfulness and urgency.”
DeGette said she was “surprised” and “honored” to be one of the nine managers.
“We’ve known that Donald Trump was beyond the pale and beyond legality,” DeGette said. “But last week when he incited the mob to come up [to the Capitol] we realized how dangerous he is. We just have to do this. It’s an imperative for this country.”
When asked about the House’s move toward impeachment, Neguse, who serves on the Judiciary Committee, said “at the end of the day, we’ve made very clear — and we see this from Republicans and Democrats across the political aisle — that this president must be removed, that he has no interest in the peaceful transfer of power, and ultimately Congress has to pursue the lawful means that would make a peaceful transfer of power possible.”
Colorado House members are expected to split along party lines over the issue of Impeachment, though a few Republicans nationally have said they would support impeachment, including the GOP’s third-highest leader, Rep. Liz Cheney.
GOP Rep. Ken Buck, who sits on the Judiciary Committee with Neguse, is concerned about the constitutional nature of how fast the process is moving. He said impeachment should be undertaken after an investigation, hearings and deliberation.
“That isn't how an impeachment works, and shouldn't work that way. We know some of the things happened on Jan. 6 and leading up to Jan. 6. We don't know everything,” Buck said. “And frankly I think it's really irresponsible and it's a political stunt. It's not an impeachment.”
The naming of impeachment managers came as Democrats in the House try to pass a resolution calling on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove Trump from office.
Rep. Ed Perlmutter, another Colorado Democrat, said the House was taking up this motion in the waning days of the Trump administration because members believe Trump “is not capable of discharging his duties for the people” after a mob of pro-Trump supporters violently stormed the U.S. Capitol last week.
“I don’t like these resolutions. I support them,” Perlmutter said. “We had damage, injury to this nation, the likes of which we haven’t seen for centuries.”
GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert, a staunch ally of Trump, called the resolution a "divisive political stunt" and "a waste of our time.” She argued that the executive branch had to initiate the 25th Amendment, not Congress.
During a trip to the border wall in Texas, Trump dismissed the idea that Pence and the Cabinet would remove him from office.
“The 25th Amendment is of zero risk to me, but will come back to haunt Joe Biden and the Biden administration,” he said.
And during the debate on Tuesday evening, Pence sent a letter to Pelsoi saying he does not believe invoking the 25th Amendment is “in the best interest of our Nation or consistent with our Constitution.” He added that he will not “yield to efforts in the House of Representatives to play political games at a time so serious in the life of Our Nation.”
Pence implored Pelosi to work to lower the temperature and unite the country.
Buck said the best thing President-elect Joe Biden could do for national unity is “to tell Speaker Pelosi to throw cold water on this rushed impeachment resolution.”
He and other GOP House members who issued a statement opposing the electoral college objection wrote to Biden Saturday to discourage the House from trying to impeach Trump for a second time.
“A second impeachment, only days before President Trump will leave office, is as unnecessary as it is inflammatory,” they wrote. “This impeachment would undermine your priority of unifying Americans, and would be a further distraction to our nation at a time when millions of our fellow citizens are hurting because of the pandemic and the economic fallout.”
A few Republicans have indicated they will vote to impeach Trump.
