By Ronald J. Hansen | Arizona Republic
2:00 p.m.: Ducey sidesteps impeachment question
Gov. Doug Ducey resisted wading into the impeachment thicket.
On Wednesday morning, the Republican governor who personally selected one of the senators who could be asked to consider the matter, said he wasn’t sure if the historic votes had been held in the House.
Related: John McCain (R) and Barbara Jordan (D): Proof there can be eloquence on impeachment
“I’ve been working since 7 a.m. this morning. Have they voted?” the governor told reporters at an event marking the future opening of the Loop 202 in Phoenix.
When pressed, the governor shrugged off the question.
“He asked me what I thought of the impeachment vote. There hasn’t been a vote,” Ducey said.
Ducey named Sen. Martha McSally, R-Ariz., to the Senate after the death of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and the resignation of his initial replacement, Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz.
Debate continues on the floor of the House of Representatives on the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2019.
Debate continues on the floor of the House of Representatives on the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2019. (Photo: House Television via AP)
1:15 p.m.: Gallego urges vote of conscience from GOP members
Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., has added his voice to the impeachment debate.
Speaking in the House chamber, he challenged his Republican colleagues to vote their conscience on behavior they wouldn’t tolerate from someone on the other side of the aisle.
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“Those still defending the president’s actions are desperately grasping at straws while living in an alternative universe where facts don’t exist,” he said.
“To those still unwilling to search their souls, ask yourself: Would you support a Democratic president using taxpayer dollars to pressure a foreign government to investigate a Republican political opponent based on false Russian conspiracy theories? Of course not. That’s absurd. Any president who does that has abused the power of the presidency.”
Gallego’s remarks appeared relatively subdued for one of President Donald Trump’s most outspoken critics.
Still, Gallego only formally called for an impeachment inquiry after the release of the special counsel’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
