Three N.J. Democrats decline to oppose motion that killed Trump impeachment effort

Three New Jersey Democrats voted “present” Tuesday on a Republican motion that killed an attempt to impeach President Donald Trump over his administration’s immigration crackdown, while six other Garden State Democrats voted against shelving the articles.

The House voted 232-147 to table H.Res. 1486, a privileged resolution introduced by Democratic Rep. Al Green of Texas accusing Trump of high crimes and misdemeanors related to the administration’s use of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection.

Forty-seven members voted “present,” and seven did not vote.

The motion to table was supported by 213 Republicans, 18 Democrats and independent Rep. Kevin Kiley of California. Kiley, who left the Republican Party earlier this year, voted with Republicans to dispose of the impeachment resolution. Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky voted “present.”

In New Jersey, Democratic Reps. Herb Conaway, Frank Pallone and Nellie Pou voted “present.”

Although a “present” vote is formally different from voting “yea” to table the resolution, the three lawmakers declined to join 147 Democrats voting “nay” in an effort to keep Green’s impeachment measure alive.

The resolution was consequently removed from further consideration.

Democratic Reps. Josh Gottheimer, LaMonica McIver, Rob Menendez, Donald Norcross, Rebecca Michelle “Mikie” Mejia and Bonnie Watson Coleman voted “nay” on the motion to table, opposing the effort to kill Green’s resolution and presumably supporting impeachment.

New Jersey’s three Republican House members — Reps. Jeff Van Drew, Chris Smith and Thomas Kean Jr. — voted “yea” to table the impeachment articles.

The vote produced an unusual three-way split among House Democrats. While 147 Democrats voted against tabling the impeachment resolution, 18 joined Republicans in voting to table it, and another 46 voted “present.”

Because the question before the House was whether to dispose of Green’s resolution rather than whether to impeach Trump, a “nay” vote was the vote that opposed terminating the impeachment effort.

For that reason, the practical distinction in Tuesday’s proceeding was between lawmakers who voted “nay” to keep the impeachment resolution before the House and everyone else. A “present” vote did not affirmatively support the Republican motion, but neither did it supply a vote against killing Green’s impeachment effort.

House Democratic leaders had explicitly recommended that course.

Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark of Massachusetts and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar of California announced Monday that they would vote “present,” arguing that impeachment should follow a more extensive congressional investigation. All three followed through Tuesday.

“Impeachment is a sacred constitutional vehicle designed to hold a corrupt executive accountable for abuse of power, breaking the law and violating the public trust,” the leaders said in their joint statement.

But they said such an effort traditionally requires “a comprehensive investigative process,” including reviewing documents, examining witnesses and holding congressional hearings. They said that work had not occurred under the Republican-controlled House and announced that they would therefore vote “present” rather than take either side on the motion to table.

The strategy put Conaway, Pallone and Pou with party leaders rather than with the six New Jersey Democrats who voted directly against terminating the impeachment proceeding.

The House clerk recorded Conaway as “present,” while Gottheimer voted “nay.” McIver, Mejia and Menendez each voted “nay,” as did Norcross. Pallone and Pou were recorded as “present.” Watson Coleman also voted “nay,” while Kean, Smith and Van Drew voted to table the resolution.

Green’s resolution accused Trump of abusing presidential power through the administration’s immigration enforcement campaign and cited deaths associated with encounters involving federal immigration personnel.

Green has repeatedly sought Trump’s impeachment, often without support from Democratic leadership. His decision to force another vote placed Democrats between lawmakers who argue Congress should use impeachment to confront alleged presidential abuses and others who contend that an impeachment proceeding should follow committee investigations and hearings.

Tuesday’s vote did not decide whether Trump committed an impeachable offense. It was a procedural decision on whether the House would continue considering Green’s resolution. Republican Rep. Russell Fry of South Carolina moved to table it shortly after Green presented it as a question of the privileges of the House. The motion passed at 4:46 p.m., ending consideration of H.Res. 1486.

Green argued on the House floor that lawmakers should be required to take a clear position on whether the allegations warranted impeachment and criticized colleagues who avoided doing so.

The Democratic leadership took the opposite procedural position, saying the House had not conducted the investigation they believed should precede impeachment. Their statement also emphasized the party’s campaign focus on the cost of living and health care as Democrats seek control of the House in November.

The result nevertheless showed that most House Democrats who cast a “yea” or “nay” vote opposed shelving Green’s resolution: 147 voted against tabling it, compared with 18 Democrats who voted to kill it outright. Another 46 Democrats chose “present.”

In New Jersey, the division was similarly clear. Six of the state’s nine Democrats cast the procedural vote necessary to oppose killing Green’s impeachment resolution. Conaway, Pallone and Pou declined to do so, voting “present,” while all three New Jersey Republicans voted to end consideration of the articles.