Joe Biden rued how the country is in the grips of impeachment but said President Trump’s actions leave House Democrats with no choice.
“We have to preserve our Constitution, our democracy,” the former vice president and White House hopeful said at a fundraiser Monday night. “I don’t take impeachment lightly. I’ve been there for two. I don’t think it’s anything a country should have to go through if it can be avoided.”
Biden, who represented Delaware for 36 years in the Senate, differentiated between the inquiry in the House, which may or may not result in charges to be considered by a Senate “jury,” and the Senate trial itself.
“Is there enough reason to be indicted, figuratively speaking?” Biden asked, before a donor at the event in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, jumped in with a “Hell yeah!”
After supporting the impeachment inquiry, Biden dropped the condition of an investigation earlier this month to join 2020 Democratic presidential candidates Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris, as well as South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, in backing Trump’s ouster.
“Donald Trump has violated his oath of office, betrayed this nation, and committed impeachable acts,” Biden said in New Hampshire. “To preserve our Constitution, our democracy, our basic integrity, he should be impeached.”
Biden, 76, has an usual role in the impeachment probe given it was triggered by allegations Trump, 73, improperly leveraged military aid to pressure Ukraine into digging up political dirt on him and his lobbyist son, Hunter Biden, 49.
“This is truly a fundamental constitutional issue. It’s not about Joe Biden,” the former vice president said Monday.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced Monday the House would vote on opening formal impeachment proceedings and would proceed with rules aimed at providing House Republicans with some rights, as well as due process for Trump.
