Valley Congressman David Valadao says it is time to put ‘country over politics’ in statement after voting in favor of impeachment
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman David Valadao is not new to Congress, he just won back his seat last year, but he might be new to the aggravated hate he is receiving from American conservatives since last week’s vote to impeach President Donald Trump.
David Valadao
Congressman, California 21st District
Valadao was one of the only 10 Republicans on Jan. 13 to vote in favor of a single article of impeachment on the House floor. It eventually passed 232-197. In a statement on his congressional website, Valadao identified Trump as a “driving force” for the riot that occurred on the Capitol on Jan. 6.
“Based on the facts before me, I have to go with my gut and vote my conscience. I voted to impeach President Trump. His inciting rhetoric was un-American, abhorrent, and absolutely an impeachable offense. It’s time to put country over politics,” Valadao stated.
While the newly elected congressman is attempting to put country over politics, commenters on his Twitter feed are not ready to do the same. Many of the responses he received from a series of Tweets explaining his vote were outright negative. One man called Valadao a RINO (Republican in name only). Others said they would be rethinking their vote in 2022. Another comment emphasized that Valadao would be challenged by a more conservative candidate in the primary.
Others also praised Valadao for voting his conscious.
In his statement, he also mentioned how he would have preferred a longer process with hearings included. Also blaming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for rushing the impeaching through.
“Speaker Pelosi has thrown precedent and process out the window by turning what should be a thorough investigation into a rushed political stunt. I wish, more than anything, that we had more time to hold hearings to ensure due process. Unfortunately, Speaker Pelosi did not afford us that option,” Valadao’s statement added.
Congressman Devin Nunes, who accepted the Presidential Medial of Freedom the week of the riot, voted against impeachment on Jan. 13. His website nor his social media accounts have a statement on why he did not vote for impeachment.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) pounced on Nunes’ silence and issued a statement that he was complicit in Trump’s mob. The statement went so far as to say Nunes sided with the Trump rioters on Jan. 6.
“This is not the first time Congressman Nunes and House Republicans have stood with the insurrectionist mob and against the U.S. Constitution. Immediately following Wednesday’s violent attack, Devin Nunes sided with the mob and voted to overturn the will of American voters, baselessly opposing certification of the presidential vote in key states that supported President-elect Biden in November,” that statement read.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy issued a lengthy statement before other House members spoke before the vote. Despite issuing several statements between the Nov. 3 election and the senate runoff election in Georgia that Trump had won the election. But on the House floor on Jan. 13 he openly said that Trump lost the election. He also put to rest any conspiracies that ANTIFA were a part of the mob.
“He should have immediately denounced the mob when he saw what was unfolding,” McCarthy said.
However, he expressed the same procedural concerns other Republicans had spelled out before voting.
President-Elect Joe Biden was sworn in today, Wednesday, Jan. 20 at noon. Pictures of Washington and the Capitol, littered with military personnel has been plastered all over the news. But the threats are not just aimed toward Washington. California Highway Patrol issued a statement saying they would be on “tactical alert” on highways all over the state in fear of a domestic terrorist attack.
“For many months, the CHP has worked closely with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to ensure the outcome of the election will be respected and that any protests which may occur are free from violence,” CHP Commission Amanda Ray said in a statement released over the weekend. “The CHP maintains strong relationships with our security and intelligence partners around the country and is continually evaluating possible emerging threats to the state. As such, the CHP is prepared to respond to any potential threats which may arise statewide.”
