These 10 Republican House Members Voted to Impeach Trump After Capitol Riot

liz cheney republicans

Getty U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, the third-most powerful Republican in the House of Representatives, was among those who voted to impeach President Donald Trump after the Capitol riot.

Ten Republican members of the House of Representatives voted to impeach President Donald Trump after the January 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol led by his supporters. Trump was accused in the articles of impeachment filed by House Democrats on January 12 of “incitement of insurrection.” It is the second time Trump has been impeached. The final vote tally was 232 to 197. The House impeachment vote came after Vice President Mike Pence decided not to invoke the 25th Amendment.

House Republican Conference Chair Liz Cheney, the third-most-powerful GOP member, is among the yes votes. The others to vote to impeach Trump are Rep. Adam Kinzinger, Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, Rep. John Katko, Rep. Fred Upton, Rep. Dan Newhouse, Rep. Peter Meijer, Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, Rep. Tom Rice and Rep. David Valadao. Every Democrat in the House voted to impeach Trump. The impeachment proceedings will now move to the GOP-led U.S. Senate for a trial. No matter what the outcome of that will be, Trump will be out of office on January 20, when President-Elect Joe Biden is inaugurated.

The 10 votes are the most cast against a president from members of his own party during an impeachment. Five Democrats voted to impeach President Bill Clinton. No Democrats voted to impeach President Andrew Johnson. The 10 Republican votes against Trump come from House members who represent districts in Wyoming, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, Washington, South Carolina, California and New York.

Four Republicans did not cast a vote for or against impeaching Trump: Rep. Kay Granger, of Texas; Rep. Andy Harris, of Maryland; Rep. Greg Murphy, of North Carolina; and Rep. Daniel Webster, of Florida.

Webster said in a statement he was not able to travel to D.C. because family medical obligations. Webster said the proceedings would “further divide the country,” in his statement, adding, “Now is not the time to throw more fuel on a fire. We should focus on bringing to justice those who attacked law enforcement and the U.S. Capitol last week and ensuring a safe Inauguration Day as prescribed in our Constitution.” Harris, a doctor, said he spent the day caring for patients. He said in a statement the impeachment proceedings were, “divisive, hastily called and politically motivated,” and said he would have voted against impeaching Trump.

Granger and Murphy have not said why they didn’t vote. Murphy spoke out against Pence and the cabinet invoking the 25th Amendment, saying it would, “further divide this nation.”

During the first impeachment of Trump, no Republicans voted to impeach the president. Justin Amash of Michigan, a former Republican, did vote to impeach. Amash did not run for re-election and was replaced in the House by Meijer, who has now also voted to impeach Trump.

Here are the Republicans who have voted to impeach President Donald Trump:


Liz Cheney of Wyoming

Cheney represents Wyoming and has been in office since 2017. The 54-year-old is the daughter of former Republican Vice President Dick Cheney, who served two terms alongside President George W. Bush. Cheney announced on January 12 she would vote to impeach Trump, issuing a statement that cleared the way for other Republicans to make a similar vote. Some GOP members of the House have called for Cheney to be stripped of her position as the third-ranking Republican member. She said in her statement, “I will vote to impeach the President.”

Cheney wrote, “On January 6, 2021 a violent mob attacked the United States Capitol to obstruct the process of our democracy and stop the counting of presidential electoral votes. This insurrection caused injury, death and destruction in the most sacred space in our Republic.”

She added, “Much more will become clear in coming days and weeks, but what we know now is enough. The President of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack. Everything that followed was his doing. None of this would have happened without the President. The President could have immediately and forcefully intervened to stop the violence. He did not. There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution.”


John Katko of New York

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GettyRep. John Katko.

Katko has represented New York’s 24th District since 2015. Katko, a former assistant U.S. attorney, issued a statement on January 12 saying he would vote to impeach Trump. Katko said in a statement, “To impeach a sitting president is a decision I do not take lightly. The U.S. Constitution outlines its use only when a high crime or misdemeanor has occurred.” He added:

As a former federal prosecutor, I approach the question of impeachment by reviewing the facts at hand. The facts are this: last week, the U.S. Capitol was attacked by a mob intent on disrupting a Joint Session of Congress and preventing certification of the Electoral College results. Consequently, the U.S Capitol Police were overrun. Insurrectionists stormed and vandalized the U.S. Capitol, assaulting those who stood in their way and leaving five Americans dead. One law enforcement officer was killed and approximately 50 others were injured. Many of those officers were severely beaten by the mob. For the staff and police officers who were in the Capitol that day, this event will forever haunt them.

It cannot be ignored that President Trump encouraged this insurrection – both on social media ahead of January 6th, and in his speech that day. By deliberately promoting baseless theories suggesting the election was somehow stolen, the president created a combustible environment of misinformation, disenfranchisement, and division. When this manifested in violent acts on January 6th, he refused to promptly and forcefully call it off, putting countless lives in danger.

We take oaths to defend the Constitution because at times, it needs to be defended. Without the peaceful transfer of power and the acknowledgment of election results, we can’t sustain our political system. Congress is tasked with holding the Executive accountable. As the Ranking Member of House Homeland Security Committee, country always comes first.

To allow the President of the United States to incite this attack without consequence is a direct threat to the future of our democracy. For that reason, I cannot sit by without taking action. I will vote to impeach this President.

The divide in our country is more clear than ever before. I hear my Republican colleagues in their argument that impeachment only further divides our country at a time when we must move forward. I agree. There must be a continuance of government and a peaceful transition of power. But I also believe firmly that I must follow the law and the facts and hold this President accountable for his actions.

Katko added, “Finally, ahead of tomorrow’s vote on impeachment, the House will this evening consider a non-binding resolution requesting that the Vice President invoke the 25th amendment to remove this President. Vice President Pence has made clear he will not do this, and believes elected representatives should be tasked with this effort, not acting and remaining cabinet members. Accordingly, I will not support this effort.”


Adam Kinzinger of Illinois

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GettyRep. Adam Kinzinger.

Kinzinger, of Illinois, has been an outspoken critic of Trump and his administration many times. He was among the first Republicans to cast blame on Trump after the Capitol siege. Kinzinger announced on January 12 that he would vote to impeach. Kinzinger represents Illinois’ 16th District.

Kinzinger said in a statement, ““Throughout my time in Congress, I’ve sought to do the right thing for the good of the people I represent and for the country as a whole. We are in unchartered waters here, and in a moment in history we have not experienced in modern times.” Kinzinger added:

On January 6, 2021, the President of the United States encouraged an angry mob to storm the United States Capitol to stop the counting of electoral votes. This angry mob turned violent and caused destruction to our nation’s symbol of democracy. This insurrection led to countless injuries and the death of several people, including two of our U.S. Capitol Police Officers.

There is no doubt in my mind that the President of the United States broke his oath of office and incited this insurrection. He used his position in the Executive to attack the Legislative. So in assessing the articles of impeachment brought before the House, I must consider: if these actions–the Article II branch inciting a deadly insurrection against the Article I branch–are not worthy of impeachment, then what is an impeachable offense?

Kinzinger concluded his statement, “I will vote in favor of impeachment.”


Jaime Herrera Beutler of Washington

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GettyRep. Jaime Herrera Beutler.

Herrera Beutler, who represents Washington’s 3rd District, has served in the House since 2011. She announced her plans to impeach Trump in a statement on January 12. She said in a statement:

The President of the United States incited a riot aiming to halt the peaceful transfer of power from one administration to the next. That riot led to five deaths. People everywhere watched in disbelief as the center of American democracy was assaulted. The violent mob bludgeoned to death a Capitol police officer as they defaced symbols of our freedom. These terrorists roamed the Capitol, hunting the Vice President and the Speaker of the House.

Hours went by before the President did anything meaningful to stop the attack. Instead, he and his lawyer were busy making calls to senators who were still in lockdown, seeking their support to further delay the Electoral College certification. House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy describes pleading with the President to go on television and call for an end to the mayhem, to no avail. The President attacked Vice President Mike Pence on Twitter while Pence was in a secure room having fled from the mob that had breached the Senate floor threatening to hang him.

She added, “Finally, the President released a pathetic denouncement of the violence that also served as a wink and a nod to those who perpetrated it: ‘I love you,’ he said to them, ‘you are special.’ More hours of destruction and violence ensued before law enforcement officials were finally able to clear the Capitol.”


Fred Upton of Michigan

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GettyRep. Fred Upton.

Upton, who has represented Michigan’s 6th District since 1993, announced his plans to impeach on January 13 ahead of the impeachment vote in the House. Upton said in a statement:

Today the President characterized his inflammatory rhetoric at last Wednesday’s rally as “totally appropriate,” and he expressed no regrets for last week’s violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. This sends exactly the wrong signal to those of us who support the very core of our democratic principles and took a solemn oath to the Constitution. I would have preferred a bipartisan, formal censure rather than a drawn-out impeachment process. I fear this will now interfere with important legislative business and a new Biden Administration. But it is time to say: Enough is enough.

Upton added, “The Congress must hold President Trump to account and send a clear message that our country cannot and will not tolerate any effort by any President to impede the peaceful transfer of power from one President to the next. Thus, I will vote to impeach.”


Dan Newhouse of Washington

Newhouse, who has represented Washington’s 4th District since 2015, announced his decision to impeach Trump during a speech on the House floor during the debate over the articles of impeachment. Newhouse said in his speech:

Last week, hateful and un-American extremists stormed the U.S. Capitol, attacking both the structural embodiment of our Republic and the values we promote as citizens of this great nation. This violent mob, intent on disturbing the constitutional duties of Congress, resulted in the tragic loss of American lives, including a U.S. Capitol Police officer. The mob was inflamed by the language and misinformation of the President of the United States.

This is a pivotal and solemn moment in our country’s history. I wholeheartedly believe our nation – and the system of government it was founded upon – may well be in jeopardy if we do not rise to this occasion. This is not a decision I take lightly.

Newhouse added, “Turning a blind eye to this brutal assault on our Republic is not an option. A vote against this impeachment is a vote to validate the unacceptable violence we witnessed in our nation’s capital. It is also a vote to condone President Trump’s inaction. He did not strongly condemn the attack nor did he call in reinforcements when our officers were overwhelmed. Our country needed a leader, and President Trump failed to fulfill his oath of office.”

Newhouse concluded, “I will vote yes on the articles of impeachment.”


Peter Meijer of Michigan

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GettyRep. Peter Meijer.

Meijer is a freshman member of Congress, voting to impeach Trump just weeks after he was sworn into office. Meijer made his announcement on January 12 shortly before the vote.

Meijer wrote on Facebook, “President Trump betrayed his oath of office by seeking to undermine our constitutional process, and he bears responsibility for inciting the insurrection we suffered last week. With a heavy heart, I will vote to impeach President Donald J. Trump.”


Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio

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GettyRep. Anthony Gonzalez is seen during a House Financial Services Committee hearing on “Oversight of the Treasury Department’s and Federal Reserve’s Pandemic Response” in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, DC, on December 2, 2020.

Gonzalez, a former NFL wide receiver, has represented Ohio’s 16th District since 2018, and announced he would vote to impeach Trump shortly after the debate on the articles of impeachment concluded on January 13. Gonzalez said in a statement:

The President of the United States helped organize and incite a mob that attacked the United States Congress in an attempt to prevent us from completing our solemn duties as prescribed by the Constitution. In doing so, five people have died – including a Capitol Police Officer – many more have been injured, and our democracy has been shaken.

The Vice President and both chambers of Congress had their lives put in grave danger as a result of the President’s actions in the events leading up to and on January 6th. During the attack itself, the President abandoned his post while many members asked for help, thus further endangering all present. These are fundamental threats not just to people’s lives but to the very foundation of the Republic.

Gonzalez added, “When I consider the full scope of events leading up to January 6th, including the President’s lack of response as the United States Capitol was under attack, I am compelled to support impeachment.”


Tom Rice of South Carolina

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GettyRep. Tom Rice.

Rice has represented South Carolina’s 7th District since 2013. Rice has not issued a statement on his decision to vote to impeach Trump. He voted on January 6 to not certify the results of the presidential election.

He issued a statement saying, “Under the strict definition of the law, I don’t know if the President’s speech last Wednesday morning amounted to incitement of a riot, but any reasonable person could see the potential for violence.” Rice added:

Once the violence began, when the Capitol was under siege, when the Capitol Police were being beaten and killed, and when the Vice President and the Congress were being locked down, the President was watching and tweeted about the Vice President’s lack of courage.

For hours while the riot continued, the President communicated only on Twitter and offered only weak requests for restraint.

I was on the floor of the House of Representatives when the rioters were beating on the door with tear gas, zip tie restraints, and pipe bombs in their possession. It is only by the grace of God and the blood of the Capitol Police that the death toll was not much, much higher.

It has been a week since so many were injured, the United States Capitol was ransacked, and six people were killed, including two police officers. Yet, the President has not addressed the nation to ask for calm. He has not visited the injured and grieving. He has not offered condolences. Yesterday in a press briefing at the border, he said his comments were ‘perfectly appropriate.’

I have backed this President through thick and thin for four years. I campaigned for him and voted for him twice. But, this utter failure is inexcusable.

His vote was a surprise.

Rice had said on January he did not support impeaching Trump, telling WBTW in Myrtle Beach, “Trump acted recklessly last Wednesday, but he only has nine days left in his term. Let’s not stoke further division.”


David Valadao of California

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David ValadaoRep. David Valadao, right, with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

Valadao is the second freshman GOP member of the House to vote to impeach Trump. He was elected to represent California’s 21st District in November, replacing Democrat TJ Cox, and reclaiming a seat he had previously held from 2013 to 2019.

Valadao said in a statement, “President Trump was, without question, a driving force in the catastrophic events that took place on January 6 by encouraging masses of rioters to incite violence on elected officials, staff members, and our representative democracy as a whole.”

He added, “Speaker Pelosi has thrown precedent and process out the window by turning what should be a thorough investigation into a rushed political stunt. I wish, more than anything, that we had more time to hold hearings to ensure due process. Unfortunately, Speaker Pelosi did not afford us that option. Based on the facts before me, I have to go with my gut and vote my conscience. I voted to impeach President Trump. His inciting rhetoric was un-American, abhorrent, and absolutely an impeachable offense. It’s time to put country over politics.”

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