Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard is facing a fierce backlash after voting “present” on the first article of impeachment against Donald Trump, one of only three Democrats not to vote to impeach the president.
Voting commenced on Wednesday night after a full day of statements from Democratic and Republican members of Congress about the two articles of impeachment passed by the House Judiciary Committee last week. The GOP remained in solidarity against both articles of impeachment and in support of Trump, while Democrats appeared to be in lockstep as well after a handful of members had opposed the initial vote in October to formalize the impeachment process.
That broke as the vote was read back and Gabbard, a Democratic representative from Hawaii who is seeking the 2020 Democratic nomination, was listed with a vote of “present.” This signifies the member is choosing to record a vote that is not to favor or against a motion.
As MSNBC noted on Twitter, Gabbard had been missing from the House chambers. Former Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill took Gabbard to task for the vote, saying it appeared to be self-serving.
“That’s just stupid,” McCaskill said.
“I mean, what is the point? I don’t know what this woman thinks she’s accomplishing by that. I guess getting attention, because we’re talking about her, though we shouldn’t be spending any time talking about her.”
As The Inquisitr reported, Gabbard made a last-minute plea to Democrats on the eve of the impeachment vote to have Congress vote to censure Trump rather than impeach him. This would be a non-binding measure that could not remove Trump from office, as impeachment could.
Brian Williams: “Tulsi Gabbard, who was mysteriously missing all day, is in the chamber and has voted ‘present.'” Fmr. Sen. Claire McCaskill: “That’s just stupid.” pic.twitter.com/gAOQp2en2o
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) December 19, 2019
“I’m taking this time for myself to be able to review everything that’s happened, all the information that’s been put forward,” she said at a campaign rally in South Carolina, via ABC News .
“And just all the factors that go into really trying to figure out what is the best action to take for our country. And for democracy. It’s not a simple or easy decision to make.”
Gabbard has come under fire for what opponents say are arguments supporting Republican positions on impeachment. Gabbard was similarly critical of the Russia investigation, calling on Democrats to “move forward” after the release of Attorney General William Barr’s summary of the report that Democrats slammed as misleading and incomplete.
As NBC News reported, there appeared to be evidence that Russian trolls were boosting campaign messages from Gabbard as well, seeing her as having the potential to create fractures within the Democratic electorate.
