Nevada Rep. Susie Lee will vote to impeach President Trump
Rep. Susie Lee, a moderate Nevada Democrat who had expressed doubts about the House’s impeachment inquiry in recent months, said Friday she will vote in favor of impeaching President Donald Trump.
“This is a grave decision that requires thorough and solemn deliberation,” Lee said in a statement. “After weighing all of the facts, I will be voting in support of impeachment of the president.”
Lee said Trump clearly abused his power and obstructed Congress. She cited her “constitutional duty” to keep American elections safe, an apparent reference to the House’s allegations that Trump solicited Ukraine to investigate the family of Democratic presidential hopeful and former Vice President Joe Biden.
“I took an oath of office to defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic,” Lee said. “This is a solemn decision. I end with this: Democracies live and die by the integrity of our elections.”
Speculation had surged for weeks whether Lee, who represents a 3rd District that Trump narrowly carried in 2016, could go against the party line on impeachment.
The Washington Post reported Wednesday that Lee said she was “still thinking it over.”
“This is a very grave decision… . I’m hearing all sides of it… . It’s mixed, it’s very mixed,” the Post reported.
And Axios reported Friday morning that Lee was among a handful of Democrats to attend Trump’s holiday party on Thursday.
Rep. Steven Horsford, who represents the similarly Republican-targeted 4th District, also released a statement Friday saying he had read the impeachment articles and will be voting in favor.
“I did not come to Congress to impeach a president, but the evidence presented makes it clear that he abused the powers of the office, obstructed Congress and put our national security at risk,” Horsford said. “No one is above the law, and (Trump) must be held accountable for (his) actions under the Constitution.”
The office for Rep. Mark Amodei, the state’s lone Republican congressional representative, said he was still reviewing the impeachment articles and shared a statement the congressman made on Tuesday.
“I’m in the process of reviewing the articles, and I’m going to take my time since it’s a fairly important document,” Amodei said Tuesday. “Since we don’t expect this to come to the floor for a vote before Friday, I will provide my thoughts as soon as I’ve had a chance to thoroughly review.”
Rep. Dina Titus, who represents the more liberal, urban 1st District, has been publicly in favor of impeachment for months.
Lee’s announcement comes after a week of heavy fire — more than $500,000 in ads and polls — on impeachment from Republicans and right-leaning groups.
The Democrats’ congressional campaign arm and left-leaning groups have begun to rally to her defense, claiming Lee is focused on passing legislation amid the ongoing impeachment hearings.
Contact Rory Appleton at rappleton@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0276. Follow @RoryDoesPhonics on Twitter.