U.S. Sen. Shelley Capito said Tuesday afternoon she will vote to acquit President Donald Trump today.
“I am voting no,” Capito, a Republican, said during a conference call with reporters from around the state. She said the two impeachment charges against Trump — that he abused his power and stymied Congress’ investigation of whether he threatened to withhold military aid to the Ukraine to pressure that country to investigate Joe and his son, Hunter Biden — did not merit impeachment.
“The House brought a week and hurried case,” said Capito of the Senate’s two-week impeachment trial. “The House has been wanting to throw him out for the last three years,” she said, adding West Virginians want Trump to do his job and “stay out of the partisan charade.”
Her colleague, U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat, meanwhile, said in a statement he has yet to decide how he will vote. He called for a censuring of Trump instead.
In remarks made Monday on the Senate floor, Manchin said he was undecided on how he would vote. “I see no path to the 67 votes required to impeach the president and haven’t since the trial started,” Manchin said in his remarks. “However, I do believe a bipartisan majority of this body would vote to censure President Trump for his actions in this matter. Censure would allow this body to unite against party lines, and as an equal branch of government, to formally denounce the president’s actions and hold him accountable. His behavior cannot go unchecked by the Senate, and censure would allow a bipartisan statement condemning unacceptable his unacceptable behavior in the strongest terms.“I am truly struggling with this decision and will come to a conclusion reluctantly, as voting whether or not to remove a sitting president is the most consequential decision that I, or any U.S. senator, will ever face,” said Manchin, who does not have to run again until 2024.
Capito said she does not support censuring Trump.
“We have an opportunity to put all of this behind us and get back on track,” she said. “I would oppose a resolution for censure. We’re ready to move on.”
The Senate is scheduled to vote on the impeachment articles this afternoon.
She said the impeachment trial has put the Senate behind working on a new federal budget, but said she was confident Trump will propose a fiscally sound plan.
“He will come back with a budget that reflects his priorities,” said Capito, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
“I don’t think there will be any payback,” from Democrats, she said.
Capito said she thinks Trump will stick to his vision of the future and put the impeachment trial behind him.
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