Tipsheet

House Dem From Deep-blue District Changes Mind on Impeachment; Update: She Can't Make Up Her Mind

Leah Barkoukis
Leah Barkoukis  |  November 26, 2019 7:30 AM

Update: That was short lived. 

Original story:

A Democratic lawmaker from a deep-blue district in Michigan said Sunday she has changed her mind about impeaching President Trump. 

Rep. Brenda Lawrence, who has represented Michigan’s 14th District since 2015, said Sunday that she no longer sees the “value” in moving forward with the process this close to an election. 

“You can censure, you don’t have to remove the president,” Lawrence said on the “No BS News Hour with Charlie LeDuff” podcast. “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 kicking him out of office, but I do see the value of putting down a marker saying his behavior is not acceptable.”

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In June, however, she felt differently, telling CNN she believed the House should “begin that process.”

“Our democracy is bigger than Donald Trump, and we need to act,” she said at the time. 

The Washington Examiner pointed out that she remained committed to impeachment up until last month even, telling Sirius XM host Dean Obeidallah in early October, “I feel strongly that for my legacy, for my time in history, sitting here at this table with an oath of office to protect this country, to protect the democracy of the United States of America, I cannot sit silent, that I must move forward with [impeachment] because this is egregious.”

In Sunday’s interview, however, she made clear she wants to censure the president. 

“I want it on the record that the House of Representatives did their job and they told this president and any president coming behind him that this is unacceptable behavior and, under our Constitution, we will not allow it,” she said. 

The host was shocked by her changed tune. 

“To hear you say, and you are a Democrat, and you are a liberal-minded person; I know you don’t like Trump. For the betterment of all of us, in an election year, it’s unwise to tear him from the chair. Is that how you think?”

“Yeah,” Lawrence responded.

As Guy reported Monday, support for impeachment has fallen, but the recent crop of surveys were conducted prior to last week’s impeaching inquiry hearings, so sentiments could still change. 

Nevertheless, how many more Democrats like Lawrence are getting cold feet?