Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME) said on Tuesday that out of the House’s two articles of impeachment, he would not vote for the article that charges President Donald Trump with obstructing Congress.
Golden provided the Bangor Daily News with a statement he plans to submit in the congressional record in which he explained that he will not vote for the article on obstruction because he felt the charge was not sufficiently proven to meet the standard of “high crimes and misdemeanors.”
However, Golden said he would vote for the other article of impeachment, which accuses Trump of abusing his presidential power by pressuring Ukraine into manufacturing dirt on his political enemies.
“This action crossed a clear red line, and in my view, there is no doubt this is an impeachable act,” the Democratic lawmaker wrote, according to the Daily News.
Golden defeated two-term incumbent Rep. Bruce Poliquin (R-ME) in the 2018 midterms. Though his district voted for former President Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, it swung to Trump in 2016.
