Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN-02) hasn’t made a decision yet on whether she will support the articles of impeachment brought against President Donald Trump, the first-term congresswoman told reporters Wednesday.
Craig said she plans to review the articles, committee testimony, and the House Intelligence Committee’s final report over the weekend before making a decision.
“This has really been a somber time to me,” Craig said on a conference call, according to the Associated Press. “No one runs for Congress wanting to ever have to face the question on whether to vote for articles of impeachment. But at the same time, you know, I have to weigh the evidence and the facts, and fulfill my constitutional duty, and I will certainly be very thoughtful and deliberate as I make that decision.”
President Trump won Craig’s district by just over a point in the 2016 election. Craig’s Democratic colleagues in Minnesota’s congressional delegation all have indicated which way they will vote on the articles of impeachment.
Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN-07) said he’s leaning against voting for the articles of impeachment.
“I’m certainly leaning that way. I just think it will be too divisive for the country—it doesn’t accomplish anything,” said Peterson, who was one of two Democrats in the House to vote against formalizing the impeachment process.
Reps. Betty McCollum (D-MN-04) and Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) both plan to vote in favor of the articles of impeachment while Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN-03) told CNN Tuesday that he will “absolutely” support the articles.
“None of us came to Congress to impeach the president,” said Phillips, whose district favored Hillary Clinton in 2016 by more than nine points. “I do believe, based on our oath to the Constitution, we have no choice.”
Craig and Phillips, who both unseated Republicans in the 2018 midterms, didn’t announce their support for the impeachment inquiry until late September. Craig is one of 31 Democrats in the nation who represent districts President Trump won in 2016.
A Washington Post report said Thursday that as many as a half-dozen vulnerable Democrats could vote against the articles of impeachment, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA-12) can afford to lose 17 Democrats and still succeed. The full House is expected to vote on the articles next week.
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Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of Battleground State News, The Ohio Star, and The Minnesota Sun. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Angie Craig” by Angie Craig.
