Any chance of civility in the upcoming election went right out the window moments ago when the House passed the impeachment inquiry vote.
The vote for the guidelines of the impeachment largely went along party lines, with no Republicans defecting and two Democrats voting against the inquiry.
House Fighting
Now, the official guidelines for the impeachment are in place.
Rep. McGovern (D-Mass) penned the resolution and maintains this is not a partisan witch hunt against the president.
He stated, “It’s about transparency and it’s about due process for the president.
“Some on the other side will never be satisfied with any process.”
He further stated, “I do not take any pleasure in the need for this resolution.
“We are here because the facts compel us to be here.”
That, however, is not how House Republicans see it.
Rep. Spano (R-FL) stated, “A yes vote on this resolution today gives a stamp of approval to a process that has been damaged beyond all repair and a blatant and obvious coup to unseat a sitting president of the United States.”
The word “coup” was running rampant among Republicans today, as that is the narrative they are all using to characterize this entire process.
Rep. Nunes (R-CA) took it a step further and called the Democrats voting for the measure a “cult.”
The Rules are Set
Now, with this resolution passing, the official rules for this impeachment process are finally set.
However, Republicans are balking that even though they now know the rules, there is still obvious bias in them.
For instance, Republican committee members must still get a Democrat chair approval before calling any witnesses which will, in effect, negate their ability to have witnesses to counter any accusations made by Democrat witnesses.
While this is fairly standard procedure, the political climate now all but ensures any witnesses Republicans want will be shot down.
The resolution has put the power of impeachment on the House Foreign Affairs, Financial Services, Judiciary, Ways and Means, and Intelligence Committees.
When the investigations are completed, the House Intelligence Committee will gather all information, then submit its findings to the House Judiciary Committee, which would then prepare the articles of impeachment.
Even though this vote went along party lines, however, it does not mean an actual impeachment vote would go along those same lines.
There is a significant difference in voting for an inquiry and the outright removal of the president.
If and when that time comes, some Democrats are going to be facing a very significant decision, as dozens of them are located in moderate districts that may not support impeachment.
Regardless, make no mistake about it, the left and right are now officially at war in the House.