Democrat: Impeach Trump Even if Quid Pro Quo Didn’t Happen
Val Demings insists the president should be impeached
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Democratic Florida Rep. Val Demings insisted that President Donald Trump should be impeached even if the alleged quid pro quo with Ukraine didn't happen.
During an interview on This Week, the Democrat was asked whether it was relevant to the impeachment proceedings that the president's request for a probe into Joe Biden never came to fruition.
Martha Raddatz also noted that no investigation into the Bidens ever happened, and military aid was still given to Ukraine.
But Demings insisted that was irrelevant.
“You’re going to make me go back to my law enforcement experience. I had an opportunity in 27 years to deal with a lot of people who attempted to rob a bank, attempted to burglarize a house, attempted to carjack an individual,” Demings said.
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“We didn’t say, ‘Well, since you weren’t successful, we caught you, you weren’t successful so let’s just let you go and forget it.”
Raddatz asked if another less severe punishment, such as censure, would be more appropriate.
Demings replied:
“We have an obligation given to us by the Constitution. I know it’s one that the American people want us to uphold. And we’re going to do the work before us.," she said.
"The fact that the president got caught in the act does not relieve him of being held accountable for the wrongdoing that he has engaged.”
In contrast, last week Democrat Brenda Lawrence opposed impeaching Trump, stating she would ask her caucus to censure rather than remove him from office.
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Speaking on the Michigan radio show No BS News Hour with host Charlie LeDuff on Sunday, Lawrence told LeDuff:
"We are so close to an election. I will tell you, sitting here knowing how divided this country is, I don't see the value of taking him out of office," Lawrence said
"I do see the value of putting down a marker saying his behavior is not acceptable."
Among the witnesses in the House Intelligence Committee’s impeachment hearings, none have confirmed any quid pro quo between Trump and the Ukrainian President.
Last month, Impeachment witnesses Kurt Volker and Tim Morrison confirmed there was no bribery, no quid pro quo, and no extortion.
“I wanted to start between the July 25 call between President Trump and President Zelensky,” Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) began.
“Mr. Morrison, you were on that call, and there was no mention of withholding aid on the call, correct?”
“That is correct, Congresswoman,” Morrison replied.
