Today’s impeachment vote by the U.S. Senate is expected to be an acquittal, and Pennsylvania’s senators are split along party lines as to how they will vote.
U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, a Republican, said he plans to vote to acquit, while U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, a Democrat, said he will vote to convict.
“Over the course of two weeks, House Managers presented substantial, persuasive evidence that President Trump abused his power and obstructed Congress,” Casey said. “It is unfortunate so many of my Republican colleagues voted last week to overrule the will of the American people and block additional witnesses and documents that would speak directly to the President’s conduct. America deserved a fair trial and it got a cover-up.”
However, Casey said, even without further witnesses, he believed the case against Trump has been proven.
“After carefully reviewing all of the available evidence, I have determined that House Managers have not only met, but exceeded, any reasonable burden of proof standard,” Casey said. “As many Republican senators now admit, the House Managers proved their case. It is clear: President Trump abused his power and obstructed Congress’ investigation.”
Casey continued, “There is no doubt that President Trump withheld military aid and a vital White House meeting from Ukraine, in order to coerce its President into announcing a sham investigation of a political rival and a debunked conspiracy theory about the 2016 election. It has also been established that he solicited foreign interference in the 2020 election and then further abused his power by covering it up and obstructing Congress’ well-predicated investigation. I will vote guilty on Article I and Article II.”
Toomey penned an op-ed, which appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer, explaining his decision to acquit. In it, he quoted then-Sen. Joe Biden during President Bill Clinton’s impeachment: “Do these actions rise to the level of high crimes and misdemeanors necessary to justify the most obviously anti-democratic act the Senate can engage in — overturning an election by convicting the president?”
Toomey said that Biden answered that question by voting against removal of Clinton from office.
“It is this constitutionally grounded framework — articulated well by Biden — that guided my review of President Donald Trump’s impeachment and, ultimately, my decision to oppose his removal,” Toomey said.
He went on to discuss the articles against Trump, and the president’s reaction by invoking his constitutional rights and resisting demands for witnesses and documents.
“The president’s actions were not ‘perfect.’ Some were inappropriate,” Toomey acknowledged. “But the question before the Senate is not whether his actions were perfect. It is whether they constitute impeachable offenses that justify removing a sitting president from office for the first time and forbidding him from seeking office again.”
Toomey said he does not believe the allegations rise to the level of removing Trump from office — “Nor do they warrant the societal upheaval that would result from his removal from office and the ballot months before an election. Our country is already far too divided, and this would only make matters worse.”
He continued, “The Senate’s impeachment power essentially allows 67 senators to substitute their judgment for the judgment of millions of Americans. President Trump’s conduct does not meet the very high bar required to justify overturning the election, removing him from office, and kicking him off the ballot in an election that has already begun.”
The people are the ones who should make this decision, Toomey said.
“In November, the American people will decide for themselves whether President Trump should stay in office. In our democratic system, that’s the way it should be.”
