U.S. House votes to impeach Trump; Ohio, Lorain County representatives mixed on decision

The U.S. House impeached President Donald Trump for a second time Wednesday, charging him with "incitement of insurrection" following the siege of the Capitol last week. The House voted 232-197 for impeachment, with 10 Republican lawmakers disregarding party lines to join Democrats in voting for the measure. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Toledo, voted to impeach the 45th president — an affirmative vote she has cast only twice in her nearly 40 years in office, she noted in a statement. Both times were to impeach Trump. "President Trump's incitement of violent insurrection against the United States represents quite possibly the most significant example of complete moral failing by any president in American history," she said. "He must be removed from office and prevented from ever holding federal office again." Reps. Bob Gibbs, R-Lakeville, and Jim Jordan, R-Urbana, both voted against impeachment. In the hours after a pro-Trump mob attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, forcing legislators to be evacuated and leaving five people dead, Gibbs and Jordan both upheld objections to certifications for Pennsylvania and Arizona's Electoral College results naming President-elect Joe Biden the winner of November's presidential election. On the floor Wednesday, Jordan said impeaching the president would not help the country deal with the "tragic and terrible events of last week that we all condemn." "We should be focused on bringing the nation together," he said. "Instead, Democrats are going to impeach the president for a second time one week before he leaves office." Sen. Rob Portman, R-Cincinnati, said in a statement that if the Senate proceeds with an impeachment trial, he will do his "duty as a juror and listen to the cases presented by both sides." "President-elect Biden has rightly said he wants to set a new tone of greater unity as his administration begins," Portman said. "All of us should be concerned about the polarization in our country and work toward bringing people together. If the Senate conducts an impeachment trial, among my considerations will be what's best to help heal our country rather than deepen our divisions." In Lorain County, Republican Party Chairman David Arredondo bristled at the proceedings, calling the proceedings unnecessary. "There's no grounds for it, but it just goes to show how vindictive and mean-spirited Democrats are," Arredondo said. "They've been this way since before Mr. Trump was elected, they persisted with a Russian collusion hoax and they never really accepted the results of the 2016 election. So they've tried ever since then to unseat him." Ten House Republicans voted to impeach the president, including Ohio Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, R-Rocky River. In a statement, Gonzalez said when he considered the full scope of the events leading up to the Jan. 6 attack, including Trump's lack of response during the siege, he was compelled to support impeachment. "The president of the United States helped organize and incite a mob that attacked the United States Congress in an attempt to prevent us from completing our solemn duties as prescribed by the Constitution," he said. "… These are fundamental threats not just to people's lives, but to the very foundation of our Republic." Of the Republicans who supported the proceedings, Arredondo said perhaps they were doing so because of their districts and constituency, but "certainly couldn't see where they would have any grounds to support." On the other side of the aisle, Lorain County Democratic Party Chairman Tony Giardini had mixed feelings about the vote. While he felt Trump should be indicted for inciting insurrection and riot, he had concerns about the importance of moving forward with impeachment given the timing. "It is unlikely that the Senate will convict, but even if it did there are still some people out there … who are going to feel like Congress is getting distracted from what we need them to do. I view the coronavirus as a much bigger threat to our nation than this guy who's now been completely discredited and disgraced," Giardini said. "I believe the economy is a much bigger issue. I believe President-elect Biden's appointments are far more critical to our democracy than impeaching this guy. Not that what he did wasn't a significant blow to our democracy. I just don't think impeaching him is going to fix it." Trump is now the only U.S. president to have been impeached twice. He was first impeached by the House in 2019 but was acquitted by the Senate. The Associated Press contributed to this report.