NEW ORLEANS — In the coming days, the full House of Representatives will take up a crucial vote on whether to impeach President Trump. On Friday, the House Judiciary Committee voted to do so.
The historic vote was brief. It's a stark contrast to the 14-hour hearing the night before when members laid out their cases for and against the impeachment of the President.
Louisiana Reps. Cedric Richmond (D-New Orleans) and Mike Johnson (R-Shreveport) were both on the committee, and voted along party lines.
Richmond used a Biblical reference in his argument.
“Judas, for 30 pieces of silver, betrayed Jesus. For 30 positive tweets, for easy reelection, the other side is willing to betray the American people," said Richmond.
Another Louisiana representative, Republican Steve Scalise, attacked the impeachment process on Twitter after the White House announced a trade deal with China.
"While Donald Trump is negotiating strong deals, Democrats are wasting time trying to impeach him for their own power," said Scalise.
Scalise, the Republican Whip in the House, was not on the committee but has been a frequent critic of the impeachment process.
Trump also today warned Democrats that their moves will have ripple effects in 2020.
"You're trivializing impeachment and I tell you what, someday there will be a Democratic President and a Republican House, and I suspect they're going to remember it,” said Trump.
First, though the entire House of Representatives must vote on the impeachment. Democrats are preparing for some defections from members in vulnerable swing states, but they believe they have enough votes to impeach.
If that happens, the process will move to a trial in the Senate, where Republicans have vowed the president will not be removed.
The vote on impeachment could be taken up by the full House as early as Wednesday.
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