Democratic Rep. Jeff Van Drew lamented that the upcoming House vote on the impeachment proceedings will do nothing more than formalize an investigation he expects to fail.
Van Drew, 66, has been skeptical of the Democrats’ decision to pursue an impeachment hearing into President Trump’s July phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He has previously complained about feeling pressured into supporting the investigation.
“At the end of the day, we’ll have the same president and same candidate and a failed impeachment process, and the only difference would be that the president will have been exonerated of charges,” Van Drew said in a statement to Fox News.
The New Jersey congressman said he does not expect to vote in favor of the resolution. He added that he believes the Democrats’ effort to remove Trump from office will be unsuccessful, and he doesn’t think it’s warranted.
“The presidential primary season is amongst us, and we have a general election coming up within a year. Let the people decide, and let’s get issues such as lowering prescription drug prices, infrastructure, access to healthcare, veterans’ benefits, and small business accomplished. Instead, this will only split the country further apart at the seams and create an even more toxic and partisan political environment that brings any progress to a halt.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the vote earlier this week, likely in response to criticism from GOP members about not having a full House vote.
