U.S. Sen. John Barrasso made his feelings about the Senate impeachment trial against former President Donald Trump clear with his vote to end the process on Tuesday.
“Democrats now control the White House and Congress, yet their top priority is an impeachment trial for a president who no longer holds office,” Barrasso said. “This partisan crusade will cost time and energy while doing nothing for jobs, for vaccines, or for getting kids safely in classrooms.”
The senator added that he swore an oath to the U.S. Constitution, which provides for impeachment to remove officials from their seats, not to be used as a weapon for members of Congress to punish political opponents.
“Consistent with my duty to the Constitution, I voted to certify the electoral votes sent by the states to Congress,” Barrasso said. “And consistent with my duty to the Constitution, I oppose the impeachment trial in the U.S. Senate of a private citizen and former president.”
Trump is facing an impeachment trial on allegations he incited the mob of people that stormed the U.S. Capitol in early January as Congress met to certify the results of the electoral college vote, which confirmed President Joe Biden as the victor in November’s presidential election.
Barrasso and U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis both voted against the impeachment trial, but U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney was one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach the former president in the final days of his administration.
“This is an unconstitutional impeachment,” Lummis told the Casper Star-Tribune on Tuesday. “You can’t convict a private citizen, and that’s a constitutional provision.”
However, a majority of senators voted to rule the impeachment trial constitutional Tuesday, meaning that the proceedings could move forward.
“My focus remains on the needs of the people of Wyoming as I work to put the pandemic behind us and rebuild our economy,” Barrasso said.
