2nd Trump Impeachment: How Washington's House Delegation Voted

WASHINGTON — U.S. representatives from Washington largely voted in favor of impeaching President Donald Trump on a charge that he incited the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol last week. The House voted 232-197 in favor, making Trump the first president in U.S. history to be impeached twice.

The historic House vote took place just one week after a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in a siege that resulted in five deaths — including the beating death of a Capitol Police officer. There have since been dozens of arrests related to the insurrection and the FBI have launched a sprawling investigation into participants and organizers.

The impeachment comes a week before President-elect Joe Biden is to be inaugurated in a city on high alert amid ongoing threats of violence. Those lingering threats of violence were one of the driving factors behind the impeachment vote, according to lawmakers like Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA).

"One week ago, Donald Trump incited insurrectionists to carry out a deadly assault on our country," said Jayapal. "Today, I will vote to impeach him. We must hold this president fully accountable."

Here’s how Washington's delegation voted on the impeachment:

Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-WA):

Rep. Rick Larsen (D-WA): Yes

Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA): Yes

Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA): Yes

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA): No

Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-WA): Yes

Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA): Yes

Rep. Kim Schrier (D-WA): Yes

Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA): Yes

Rep. Marilyn Strickland (D-WA): Yes

The most surprising yeas come from Reps. Dan Newhouse and Jaime Herrera Beutler, two of just ten Republican representatives who voted to impeach. Beutler was the first Washington Republican in Congress to announce her intention to vote yes on impeachment, issuing a statement Monday which read in part:

"The President's offenses, in my reading of the Constitution, were impeachable based on the indisputable evidence we already have. I understand the argument that the best course is not to further inflame the country or alienate Republican voters. But I am a Republican voter. I believe in our Constitution, individual liberty, free markets, charity, life, justice, peace and this exceptional country. I see that my own party will be best served when those among us choose truth.

I believe President Trump acted against his oath of office, so I will vote to impeach him."

Rep. Newhouse confirmed his yes vote on Twitter, saying that the attack on the Capitol was "inflamed by the language and misinformation of the President of the United States."

"Turning a blind eye to this brutal assault on our Republic is not an option," Newhouse said.

Notably, Newhouse previously signed a brief supporting the Texas lawsuit seeking to overturn the November General Election in favor of President Trump. The only other signee from Washington was Cathy McMorris Rodgers, making Newhouse the state's sole representative to support both that legal challenge and the president's impeachment.

What's Next: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky will not allow the Senate to vote to convict Trump — which would have been an extraordinary turn by a Republican leader who has defended and protected Trump during the four years of his tumultuous presidency.

• If an impeachment trial is allowed in the Senate, it will be after Biden is inaugurated, McConnell said Wednesday. His staff said McConnell will defer to New York Democrat Chuck Schumer, who will become the new majority leader, to manage the process.
• Biden has suggested the Senate could “bifurcate” — spend half of the day confirming his Cabinet nominees and the other half on impeachment matters.
• Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, the third-ranking member of the House Republican leadership, is among more than two dozen Republicans who signaled they would break from their party and vote to impeach Trump.
• "There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution," she said in a statement Tuesday.

Trial In The Senate: Two-thirds of the chamber would have to vote to convict Trump. The Senate exonerated Trump last year on charges of abuse of power and contempt of Congress after special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation, but the charge against Trump this time is more clear-cut.

Under the Constitution, the Senate could prevent him from holding federal office again and strip him of other perks afforded to former presidents.

As lawmakers debated the need for and grave potential consequence of impeaching Trump for a second time, the FBI warned of armed protests in the days ahead of Biden’s inauguration. Statehouses in all 50 states have been targeted for protests. Last week, a protest briefly breached into the grounds of the governor's mansion in Olympia. Since then, the governor has mobilized Washington State National Guard, ordering them to guard the Capitol campus through inauguration day.

The FBI is also monitoring chatter on an encrypted messaging platform about plans by Trump extremists to form perimeters around the Capitol, the White House and the Supreme Court building as Biden takes the oath of office.

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