Colorado’s seven representatives split along partisan lines Wednesday as President Donald Trump was impeached for the second time. The Senate is expected to hold a trial in coming weeks to determine whether to convict him on the charge of “incitement of insurrection.”
Colorado’s lawmakers shouldered Trump with varying degrees of blame for the violence that broke out last week at the U.S. Capitol, but when votes were cast, the state’s four Democratic representatives voted in favor of impeaching and the three Republicans voted against it. The delegation was similarly split in a vote Monday on a resolution encouraging Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from power.
Trump was impeached amid accusations that he incited his supporters to storm the Capitol building ahead of the certification of Electoral College votes on Jan. 6. Protesters damaged the building and five people died as a result of the riot.
Third Congressional District Rep. Lauren Boebert, a staunch supporter of the president, gave an impassioned speech on the House floor Wednesday defending Trump and attacking Democrats, who she accused of hypocrisy and of “promoting violence” when many Democrats expressed support for Black Lives Matter protests throughout 2020.
“Where is the accountability for the left after encouraging and normalizing violence?” Boebert said Wednesday. “Rather than actually helping American people in this time, we start impeachments that further divide our country. I call bullcrap when I hear the Democrats demanding unity.”
Boebert has come under fire recently after she repeated many of Trump’s claims of voter fraud and made references to the American Revolution that some said contributed to inciting the riot.
While the House of Representatives was locked down Jan. 6, Boebert also tweeted that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., had been removed from the chambers, information that critics said could have put the speaker at risk. In the aftermath of the riot, Boebert denounced the violence that had occurred and called for the perpetrators of violence to be brought to justice.
Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colorado Springs, joined Boebert’s defense of Trump, saying he disagreed with those who accused Trump of inciting violence. On the other hand, Rep. Ken Buck, R-Windsor, broke somewhat with Trump, expressing his disapproval for the president’s rhetoric surrounding the events.
However, all three Republicans voted against impeachment; only 10 Republicans joined with Democrats in voting to impeach.
Colorado Democrats all voted to impeach the president, decrying Trump’s rhetoric and supporting the accusations of incitation. Two of them, Reps. Diana DeGette and Joe Neguse, have also been named impeachment managers, meaning they will argue the impeachment case in front of the Senate.
Wednesday’s vote was historic, making Trump the first American president to ever be impeached twice. He was impeached last year for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress but was acquitted in a trial in the Senate.
Trump’s fate in the impeachment remains uncertain, as several Republicans in the Senate have condemned his rhetoric or otherwise sought to distance themselves from him but have not directly said whether they will vote to convict.
Colorado Sens. John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet, both Democrats, said they support convicting Trump.
“The House has done its job,” Bennet said in a statement. “Now the Senate must vote to convict.”
On Twitter, Hickenlooper said Trump violated his oath of office.
It is unclear when the Senate will hear the impeachment trial. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has said he does not plan to bring the Senate back into session before Jan. 19, the day before President-elect Joe Biden is sworn into office.
However, even if the trial does not occur until after Trump’s term ends, if he is convicted by the Senate, he will lose benefits typically given to former presidents and also could be blocked from running for office again.
John Purcell is an intern for The Durango Herald and The Journal in Cortez and a student at American University in Washington, D.C.