New York Rep. John Katko is the first House Republican to say that he will vote to impeach President Trump over his role in last week’s siege on the U.S. Capitol building.
“To allow the president of the United States to incite this attack without consequence is a direct threat to the future of our democracy,” Katko said in a statement, according to Syracuse.com. “For that reason, I cannot sit by without taking action. I will vote to impeach this president.”
Katko, who was first elected to the House in 2014 to represent an upstate district that includes Syracuse, is one of the most centrist members of the Republican House caucus. He won reelection in November with 53.3% support.
Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger, a frequent Trump critic, has also indicated support for impeachment but had not said that he will vote in favor of the Democrats’ impeachment resolution submitted Monday.
“I’ll vote the right way when it’s — when, you know, whatever’s put in front of me. There’s a — there’s a lot of still negotiation going on. I honestly don’t think impeachment is the smart move because I think it victimizes Donald Trump again,” Kinzinger said on This Week on Sunday.
Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, who holds the third-highest role in House Republican leadership, has declined to rule out voting in favor of impeachment. She reportedly called impeachment a “vote of conscience” during a Monday call with House Republicans.
The House is expected to vote Wednesday on impeaching Trump for “incitement of insurrection.” The effort to convict Trump and potentially bar him from holding future federal office faces an uncertain future in the Senate, which is not set to convene until Jan. 19, one day before President-elect Joe Biden takes office.
