Freshman Democrat Tom O’Halleran Voting to Impeach Trump

Freshman swing district Rep. Tom O’Halleran (D-AZ) announced Friday that he will vote to impeach President Donald Trump.

O’Halleran announced after the House Judiciary Committee voted to advance both articles of impeachment that he will back impeachment of Trump.

“Today is a somber day in America’s history. When I was elected to represent Arizona’s First Congressional District in the House of Representatives, I never expected that we would vote on impeaching a sitting president,” O’Halleran said in a press release.

The Arizona Democrat has supported the impeachment inquiry for months; however, until Friday he has remained silent on whether he would vote to impeach Trump.

O’Halleran represents one of 31 congressional districts that Trump won during the 2016 presidential election and that Democrats managed to flip during the 2018 midterm elections. Republicans need to flip roughly 20 seats to take back the House majority.

O’Halleran beat Republican congressional candidate Wendy Rogers by roughly 7.7 percentage points during the 2018 midterm election.

O’Halleran continued:

“As a former law enforcement officer and criminal investigator, I spent my career gathering evidence and pursuing truth and justice. Throughout this impeachment inquiry process, I have remained committed to reviewing all of the facts before coming to a final decision on the matter. That is why I have reached my decision today, following the finalization of the official articles of impeachment.

“The constitution is a document we have lived by as a nation for over two hundred years. It is the shortest written constitution of any major government in the world, but it outlines clear grounds on which the impeachment of a sitting president is the correct course of action. Article II, Section 4 reads, “The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.”

“President Trump abused the power of the presidency and broke his oath of office when he bribed the nation of Ukraine by withholding military aid they had already been promised in exchange for help investigating a political opponent. The President’s own political appointees and phone call transcript confirmed these facts.

“I will vote to impeach the President because this bribery and abuse of power violated the constitution and put our national security and our international relationships at risk.

“Our democracy is the greatest in the world, and a model for many other nations. In our democracy, we must hold elected officials accountable when they break the public trust and put their own interests before the good of our nation.

The Arizona Democrat said that he will continue to “work across the aisle” to create “good-paying jobs,” lower healthcare costs, and “keep our promises to Arizona’s veterans.”