New Jersey’s impeachment vote falls along party lines

The vote to impeach President Donald Trump for a second time split cleanly along party lines in New Jersey.

All 10 of the state’s Democratic House members voted to impeach Trump for inciting the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

“If his actions are not impeachable, then I fear for the future of our republic. Impeachment, removal, and disqualification of this man is an important and profound action we must take,” said Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-Paterson), New Jersey’s chief Trump critic in Congress. “But it is not enough and when he is out of office, he must be prosecuted for the myriad of crimes he has committed.”

Rep. Frank Pallone (D-Long Branch) cast Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman’s (D-Ewing) yes vote. The congresswoman is in quarantine following a positive test for COVID-19 after sheltering in place with Republican lawmakers who refused to wear masks during the attack.

At a rally preceding the president’s supporters’ march on Congress last Wednesday, Trump told the crowd to walk down to the Capitol in an effort to stop lawmakers from certifying President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.

“We fight like hell, and if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore,” he said.

Both Of New Jersey’s Republican congressman, Reps. Jeff Van Drew (R-Dennis) and Chris Smith (R-Hamilton) opposed Wednesday’s impeachment vote, which, with 10 Republican defections, was the most bipartisan impeachment in the country’s history.

Smith voted no the first time Trump was impeached, as did Van Drew, who defected to the Republican party shortly thereafter.

“After my vote today, I will go home and explain to my two boys why it was important to impeach the president,” Rep. Andy Kim (D-Bordentown) said. “It’s a conversation that parents across the country are having right now with their kids; explaining that when someone does something wrong and they violate their oath, there are consequences.”