Freshman swing district Democrat Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) said Monday she remains undecided whether House Democrats should move to impeach or censure President Donald Trump.
Rep. Slotkin told reporters she will wait to read the House Democrats’ report on allegedly impeachable offenses before deciding that Trump should be removed from office.
The Michigan Democrat said she has yet to form an opinion on whether Democrats should make their move.
“I think the facts should lead that conversation, not politics,” Slotkin said.
Rep. Brenda Lawrence (D-MI), another Michigan Democrat, floated the idea of censuring Trump as a better option compared to impeaching the president as they approach the 2020 presidential election.
At a previous event in Michigan, Slotkin said the allegations facing Trump merited an investigation.
Slotkin, a former Pentagon and a CIA official, admitted there were often “quid pro quos” in foreign policy; however, she argued they are not meant for personal gain.
“We always do this kind of quid pro quo — to be honest, we do it — but we do it for the national security interests of the United States, not for personal or political gain,” she contended.
Rep. Slotkin represents one of the 31 congressional districts President Trump won during the 2016 presidential election, but House Democrats flipped during the 2018 congressional elections.
The Michigan Democrat said Monday she knew her decision to back the impeachment inquiry against Trump would be “politically controversial.”
“For me, there are just some things that are beyond politics,” she said. “You just can’t care about the polling and what some consultant is telling you, you have to do what you think is right.”
Rep. Slotkin said she will make an “objective decision” after reading the House report on Trump’s allegedly impeachable crimes.
“I am actually pretty comfortable making hard calls on tough things when you know that the public may not understand,” Slotkin said. “Sometimes, you have to make tough calls.”
Sean Moran is a congressional reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.