WASHINGTON — On Wednesday, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) voted to convict President Donald Trump in the U.S. Senate impeachment trial. If convicted, President Trump would have been removed from office. In a statement, Manchin justified his impeachment vote, expressing that the President should not have “unlimited power.”
“The charges brought against President Trump are serious and carry grave consequences for our nation,” Manchin stated. “In establishing our new republic, the Framers of the Constitution risked everything to rebel against imperial rule and instead form a democratic government of checks and balances in which no one branch would have unlimited power. The greatest fear the Framers had was foreign intervention into our fragile democracy and they warned us of the tremendous harm toxic partisanship could have on our democratic system. Sadly the partisan episode that unfolded in the United States Senate betrays the duties entrusted to this body by the Constitution.”
Furthermore, Manchin claimed that Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and other democratic house managers proved their case. This is an ironic statement because on Friday, Manchin also voted for admitting additional evidence and witness to solidify the impeachment case.
“The evidence presented by the House Managers, including video testimony of witnesses under oath in the House of Representatives, clearly supports the charges brought against the President in the articles of impeachment.”
Manchin also accused President Trump of acting “with blatant disregard for an equal branch of government.”
“I have always wanted a fair trial in the Senate, and I am disappointed the President, his counsel, and a majority of my Republican colleagues decided not to support the inclusion of additional witnesses and documents during the trial, resulting in the first Senate impeachment trial of a President without witnesses. And while the President may assert executive privilege, that privilege has limits and is not absolute. Despite the false claim that a President can do no wrong, the President is not entitled to act with blatant disregard for an equal branch of government or use the superpower status of the United States to condition our support of democracy and our allies on any political favor. That is not who we are as a country.”
In conclusion, Manchin stated that he “must vote yes on the articles of impeachment.”
“Voting whether or not to remove a sitting President has been a truly difficult decision, and after listening to the arguments presented by both sides, I have reached my conclusion reluctantly. For the reasons above I must vote yes on the articles of impeachment. I take no pleasure in these votes, and am saddened this is the legacy we leave our children and grandchildren. I have always wanted this President, and every President to succeed, but I deeply love our country and must do what I think is best for the nation.”
Many West Virginias are outraged by Manchin’s decision, after Trump won 68.50 percent in the 2016 Presidential Election.