Rep. Peter Meijer, on Impeachment Vote: ‘There’s an Assumption That People Will Try To Kill Us’

Citing “people familiar with his thinking,” The New York Times reported Tuesday afternoon that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R–Ky.) “has told associates that he believes President Donald Trump committed impeachable offenses and that he is pleased that Democrats are moving to impeach him, believing that it will make it easier to purge him from the party.”

This startling development on the eve of Wednesday’s planned House impeachment vote was soon followed by two others: Rep. Liz Cheney (R–Wy.), the third-ranked Republican in the House, announced in a blunt statement that she will vote to impeach. “None of this would have happened without the President….There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution.” Vice President Mike Pence, meanwhile, dismissed the House’s attempt to have him invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office.

At least two other Republicans, Reps. Adam Kinzinger (Ill.) and John Katko (N.Y.) have joined Cheney and the House Democrats in favor of impeachment. A third who has said he’s “strongly considering” it is Rep. Peter Meijer (R–Mich.), the freshman successor to Justin Amash.

Meijer, who attracted attenti