Rep. Anthony Brindisi’s office on Wednesday evening, shortly after President Donald Trump became the third president in American history to be impeached, released a statement that sought to focus more on issues than the politics of removal.
“President Trump is my President too,” Brindisi said I’ve always said I would work with him to get things done for American families.”
He pointed to Trump’s approval of his legislation aiding veterans and soon-to-be-approved measure requiring the military to buy U.S.-made flatware and efforts to stem opioid addiction.
“I’ve worked with this administration to bring about a new trade deal with Mexico and Canada that will help our farmers and protect our workers,” he said.
“I will always vote my conscience, put our Country first, and support the rule of law. Today I am what I have always been, a person privileged to live in the greatest democracy in history. It is with profound sadness I cast my vote today; however, I voted not as Democrat or Republican but as an American who has been given this responsibility by the community I love. The Constitution, the rule of law, respect for justice and individual dignity have standards and therefore must be subject to accountability.”
Brindisi is one of 31 House Democrats — three here in New York — that represent districts the president carried in 2016 and voted for impeachment. Reps. Antonio Delgado of the Hudson Valley and Max Rose of Staten Island also backed both impeachment articles, which grew out of an investigation of the president’s effort to have Ukraine investigate his political rivals.
There are, of course, pitfalls for Republicans like Rep. John Katko, who represents a Democratic-leaning seat in central New York, and who has said Trump’s actions were troubling, but not impeachable.
But there’s money behind the effort to criticize Democrats for backing impeachment.
The conservative advocacy group American Action Network, which has spent millions of dollars on an anti-impeachment ad campaign, pumped an additional $2.5 million into the effort on Wednesday to release a fresh wave of attack ads against House Democrats.
“Each and every one of these Members will have to explain their vote to impeach President Trump,” said AAN President Dan Conston.
“Folks at home expect their Member of Congress to deliver on real issues, instead they’ve spent every waking moment trying to remove Trump from office for their own partisan political ends. They chose to put the far left’s crusade to impeach this President ahead of what’s best for their constituents, and now there’s going to be a reckoning for it back home.”