Newhouse decision to impeach Trump took integrity, and incredible courage | Editorial
In one defining moment, Congressman Dan Newhouse proved his mettle.
The soft-spoken, Republican farmer from Central Washington showed an incredible amount of strength Wednesday when he broke ranks and voted to impeach President Donald Trump.
He was one of only 10 House Republicans who did the right thing. There should have been more.
The impeachment vote officially charged Trump with inciting an insurrection, and came exactly one week after rioters stormed the Capitol in an attempt to disrupt the Electoral College vote affirming President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.
Trump’s repeated, false claims that the election was rigged and stolen from him provoked his supporters, and fueled their anger until it eventually burst out on the Capitol grounds.
The President’s rhetoric at a rally on Wednesday morning helped spur the terrifying rampage, which left five people dead — including a Capitol police officer who was beaten in the chaos. And other officers were injured.
Newhouse told the Tri-City Herald he believed the mob was inflamed by Trump’s language and misinformation, and that he could not turn a blind eye to the “brutal assault on our republic.”
What’s worse, Trump “did not strongly condemn the attack nor did he call in reinforcements when officers were overwhelmed,” Newhouse said. “Our country needed a leader, and President Trump failed to fulfill his oath of office.”
In the end Newhouse voted his conscience, joining his Southwest Washington Republican colleague, Jaime Herrera Beutler, who also voted to impeach Trump.
Together they put their country over their party. They put truth and integrity over political posturing.
And for that, they are receiving high praise, as well as condemnation.
Across the country, people took note of Washington state’s two rank and file House members.
The New York Times highlighted all the Republican lawmakers who voted to impeach Trump. And Dana Milbank, a national columnist for the Washington Post, wrote in a recent column that:
“Lesser-known but no less brave was Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., who at 1:42 p.m. Wednesday stood on the floor and announced: ‘There is no excuse for President Trump’s actions. ... With a heavy heart and clear resolve, I will vote yes on these articles of impeachment.’
Less than five minutes later, another Republican from Washington, Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, rose to declare that she, too, would vote to impeach. ‘I’m not afraid of losing my job, but I am afraid that my country will fail,’ she said.”
While Newhouse and Herrera Beutler are being lauded by many throughout the country, closer to home their decision to impeach has upset their conservative, Trump-supporting constituents.
But that’s the risk they both took, and that’s why their decision to follow their hearts instead of the party line is so impressive.
Clark County Republicans are angry with Herrera Beutler, and many are calling on their party leaders to formally renounce the congresswoman, according to the Centralia Chronicle.
Our Congressional 4th District, which Newhouse represents, is ruby red. Trump earned 59 percent of the vote in the November election in the district, so it is likely Newhouse will face a significant GOP backlash.
He told the Spokesman-Review, “I know I’m going to catch a lot of grief at home for this. But this is not about the political future of Dan Newhouse. This is about the future of our country.”
We criticized Newhouse in December for supporting a Texas lawsuit challenging the results of the presidential election. But this week, we saw his strength of character emerge, and we are grateful for it.
One of the most powerful compliments we have seen since Newhouse’s vote came — surprisingly — from Democrat Doug McKinley, the Richland attorney who ran against Newhouse last year.
McKinley has been a constant critic of the congressman, but on Wednesday he praised Newhouse on his Facebook page:
“It takes no courage for a politician to tell his supporters that they are right, that things they already believe are true. It (is) the apex of principled leadership and takes real courage to tell them that they are wrong and that they have been deceived. But for our system of government to work, our political leaders must tell us the truth and they must lead. Today, Congressman Dan Newhouse did both… Today, you made me proud that you are my Congressman. I wish you the best.”
Newhouse, no doubt will face the ire of local Republicans, but he did the right thing by voting to impeach Trump. And history, someday, will confirm that.
This story was originally published January 15, 2021 at 12:05 PM.