FILE – In this Oct. 15, 2008, file photo then-Chairman of the House Committee Chairman on Agriculture Rep. Collin Peterson, D-Minn., convenes a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. As President Barack Obama and lawmakers try to negotiate a deficit-reduction deal, they have targeted $30 billion or more in agriculture spending cuts. Peterson, now the top Democrat on the agriculture panel, says such large cuts would make it almost impossible for Congress to write a new farm bill and figure out how to protect producers from a downturn. “It’s a mess is what it is,” he said. (AP Photo/Lawrence Jackson, File)
Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN) has made up his mind.
Many were looking to him to see where he would go on impeachment, since he was among the 31 Democrats in ‘Trump Districts.’ Peterson also was one of two Democrats, along with Rep. Jeff Van Drew (D-NJ) who voted against the impeachment proceeding on October 31.
Van Drew has said he will vote no and he’s also indicated, after a discussion with President Donald Trump, that he intends to switch parties and become a Republican, likely next week.
Now Peterson is weighing in and saying that unless something substantially changes in the facts, he will not be voting in favor of impeachment. He said he also expects 4-5 other Democrats to follow him.
He said he disagreed with the whole process.
Barring new information, Peterson will not vote for impeachment https://t.co/5ZOhhp6tvk pic.twitter.com/OwOn4gg1UN
— The Globe of Worthington (@dglobe) December 14, 2019
MUST WATCH:
Dem Rep. Collin Peterson will vote against impeachment
He says “it’s all second-hand information” and Trump “has not committed a crime” pic.twitter.com/si3d5S3Efr
— Jewish Deplorable 🇺🇸 (@TrumpJew) December 15, 2019
From The Globe:
Peterson said Trump “has not committed a crime” and most people in the Seventh District don’t think the US should provide foreign aid, so they are not troubled at all if Trump withheld funds to Ukraine. Peterson also said the case against Trump only includes “second-hand” information about Trump’s questionable phone call.
Peterson said the “biggest problem” he has with this impeachment process is that people decided in advance they were going to impeach Trump “and now they’ve spent a year trying to figure out how they can make a case for it. That’s backwards. I just don’t agree with this.”
Peterson said he expects the House will vote to impeach Trump and then it will go to the Senate where he predicts the president will be acquitted.
“This is dividing the country for no good reason because he’s not going to be thrown out of office,” he said. “Why are we doing this?”
Peterson said if Democrats want Trump out they should settle it at the ballot box.
Wow, a Democrat with sense.
Peterson is not a freshman like Van Drew. He’s served since 1991 and is the Democrats’ the most senior representative from Minnesota. He is the chair of the House Committee on Agriculture for the 116th Congress and is the dean of Minnesota’s congressional delegation.
That’s a big deal that he goes against this, not only deciding to vote no, but calling out the Democratic bad motive behind the whole process.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member