Ohio Capital Journal
Wednesday’s historic vote in the U.S. House of Representatives to impeach President Donald Trump was approved on a near-completely party line vote.
Such was true for Ohio’s delegation of 16 representatives. All 12 Republicans voted against the two articles of impeachment, while the four Democrats voted in favor.
Nine Ohio representatives from both sides spoke on the House floor during the marathon debate session on Wednesday.
Here is a sampling of what was said:
5th District — Bob Latta, R-Bowling Green:
“We have watched this illegitimate impeachment process unfold while making a mockery of our constitutional duty.”
9th District — Marcy Kaptur, D-Toledo:
“Members of Congress swear a solemn oath to protect and defend our Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic and today we fulfill our oath by defending liberty.”
1st District — Steve Chabot, R-Cincinnati:
“Today is a sad day in our nation’s history as House Democrats are poised to approve on a strictly party line vote Articles of Impeachment.”
2nd District — Brad Wenstrup, R-Cincinnati:
“Today is the fourth impeachment related vote since President Trump took office. It’s yet another attempt to reach (Democrats’) predetermined conclusion on impeachment, a conclusion built on political bias, accusations and innuendo.”
3rd District — Joyce Beatty, D-Columbus:
Beatty spoke on the floor only to ask that her support for impeachment be entered into the Congressional Record.
4th District — Jim Jordan, R-Lima:
“Democrats don’t care. They don’t care about the facts, and they sure don’t care about process.”
6th District — Bill Johnson, R-Marietta:
“This partisan impeachment sham seeks to disenfranchise 63 million American voters. So I want to use my time to call on this chamber for members to rise and observe a moment of silent reflection …”
7th District — Bob Gibbs, R-Avon:
“Testimony was all hearsay, conjecture and assumptions. So now it’s abuse of power with no underlying crime, which is opinion.”
8th District — Warren Davidson, R-Troy:
“For months now, Americans have heard speculation about the president’s motives in Ukraine. Despite months of effort, dozens of hearings and countless documents, Americans have not seen proof that the president committed a high crime or a misdemeanor. We have a republic, if we can keep it.”
10th District — Michael Turner, R-Dayton:
Turner did not speak on the House floor Wednesday, and has yet to release a public statement on his website or social media pages. Turner was against the impeachment inquiry and said this as a member of the House Intelligence Committee: “…there really is no case here. And yet, the Democrats are still going to proceed to impeach this president.”
11th District — Marcia Fudge, D-Warrensville Heights:
Fudge did not speak on the House floor Wednesday. In a statement, she said: “The President betrayed the public interest, undermined our national security, attempted to corrupt our free and fair elections … These acts of betrayal cannot stand.”
12th District — Troy Balderson, R-Zanesville:
Balderson did not speak on the House floor Wednesday. In a statement, he said: “…I have seen no evidence of the president committing impeachable offenses and will not support his impeachment.”
13th District — Tim Ryan, D-Niles:
Ryan did not speak on the House floor Wednesday. In a statement, he said: “It is with a heavy heart that I cast my vote for impeachment today, but we cannot have a President that is above the law.”
14th District — David Joyce, R-Russell Twp.:
Joyce did not speak on the House floor Wednesday. In a statement, he said: “If I were to vote in favor of the two articles of impeachment today, I would be setting a dangerous precedent for our country moving forward.”
15th District — Steve Stivers, R-Upper Arlington:
Stivers did not speak on the House floor Wednesday. In a statement, he said: “After studying the reports, I did not see conclusive evidence that the President has committed a crime, and this has not reached the high bar that I hold for impeachment.”
16th District — Anthony Gonzalez, R-Rocky River:
Gonzalez did not speak on the House floor Wednesday. In a statement, he said: “Based on the clear language of the Constitution and the weakness of the impeachment charges against President Trump, I wholeheartedly reject this impeachment.”
Readers can search for full House speeches via C-Span’s debate video page here.
The two articles of impeach will next be sent to the U.S. Senate, which will decide whether or not Trump should be convicted and removed from office.
Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown has said he will make a judgment “based on the evidence” presented at the Senate’s trial. Republican U.S. Sen. Rob Portman told a States Newsroom reporter earlier this week that he does not see enough evidence to remove Trump from office.
