Democrat Ben McAdams was the sole member of Utah’s House delegation to vote in favor of a resolution formalizing the rules for a potential impeachment of President Donald Trump. Utah’s Republican House members all opposed the measure.
The measure passed on a near party-line vote 232-196.
In a statement following the vote, McAdams stressed he was only voting to open up the process and provide more transparency.
“Today’s vote is not a vote for or against impeachment,” said McAdams in a statement. “It is a vote to gather facts and create a fair process. I will not decide for or against impeachment until the time that the facts have been disclosed and I have had a chance to weigh all the facts and evidence.”
Republicans, who are targeting McAdams for defeat in 2020, quickly pounced, seeing the vote as a way to gain an advantage in next year’s elections.
“Democrats like Ben McAdams chose to side with Nancy Pelosi, Adam Schiff and the socialist squad over their constituents, and have officially committed political malpractice,” said Trump campaign spokesperson Samantha Zager. “Americans will remember how these Democrats chose to pursue division and investigation over progress and promises.”
McAdams is a top target for Republicans as he won election in an overwhelmingly Republican district by fewer than 700 votes in 2018.
Utah’s Republican members of the House all voted against the resolution. Each of them also slammed the resolution as a flawed process.
Rep. Chris Stewart, who is one of President Trump’s most ardent supporters, complained about the lack of Republican support for the resolution.
“So far the Democrats have held hearings behind closed doors while selectively leaking soundbites in order to mislead the public. Now, more than 35 days since the beginning, Speaker Pelosi is rushing to retroactively legitimize her flawed investigation,” said Stewart in an email statement.
Rep. Rob Bishop said Democrats should be focusing on other issues instead of impeachment, including lowering drug costs and funding for national parks.
“These issues are ready to be solved, but (House Speaker) Pelosi wants to continue the circus. This resolution continues the flawed procedures Pelosi began weeks ago,” said Bishop.
Rep. John Curtis used an oft-repeated criticism from Republicans about how Democrats have been angling to push Trump from office since he won the 2016 election.
“Let’s be honest – it seems to me that a combination of the President’s style and a predetermined goal to remove him from office set this impeachment in motion on the day after the election. The American people want to know the truth, and so do I. I will support a process that leads to more transparency, without the influence of politics, but today’s vote does the opposite,” said Curtis.
