GOP Rep. Tom Cole firmly backed impeaching Trump -- then flinched: book
Before Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK) voted against the impeachment of Donald Trump for the Jan. 6 insurrection, he told his House colleagues that the case was a solid one.
Former Rep. Liz Cheney's (R-WY) new book reveals a call with top Republican caucus leaders in the days following the Jan. 6 attack. The call had House Republicans such as Reps. Steve Scalise (R-LA), Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), Tom Emmer (R-MN) and now-Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), and others.
"Republican members were angry," Cheney writes that Scalise reported on the call. "They were concerned about what had happened, and about Trump’s conduct. Scalise said we needed to address the question of what the post-Trump Republican House would look like. It seemed obvious to all that Trump could no longer lead the party. Among leadership—at least at that time—there was no question that Donald Trump was culpable for January 6."
That included the lawmaker now known as "MAGA Mike" Johnson.
The call with the members focused on the next steps and whether they'd support impeachment, invoking the 25th Amendment, or any other ideas.
But it was Cole who spoke to his fellow Republicans about the impeachment being a legitimate one.
"After several participants on the call expressed concerns about the potential negative political ramifications of impeachment, Tom Cole spoke up," Cheney writes. "Tom had served in Congress since 2003, and members valued his insight and judgment. He said the Rules Committee had already begun looking at the grounds for impeachment, anticipating that any articles would have to move through Rules first before being voted on by the full House. He wanted everyone to be aware that there were real grounds here for impeachment. I made a note to call him after the call wrapped up."
But when the time came, Cole lined up behind Trump. He claimed there needed to be more "investigation" done to determine Trump's guilt.
"While I realize that emotions are running high and fear is a very real enemy right now, that does not provide cause for the House to abandon the institutional process for bringing the grave matter of impeachment to the floor," Cole said in a speech. "Such serious action should only come after fully reviewing and investigating all the facts, engaging expert witnesses and providing due process to the accused. This is necessary to ensure the American people have confidence in the procedures that govern the House now and for generations to come. Moreover, the presidency itself demands due process in impeachment proceedings."
When the time came for Cole to cast a vote on whether to create such an investigatory body, he voted against that, too.
"That afternoon, I also spoke to Tom Cole," Cheney later writes in the book. "He forwarded a memo prepared by an attorney who was a senior Republican staffer on the Rules Committee. In the cover note, the staffer explained that, having analyzed the impeachment power, the facts of the case, and the application of those facts to the constitutional requirements, 'my conclusion, which I do not take lightly, is that I believe that President Trump’s actions on January 6 constitute a high crime and misdemeanor within the meaning of Article II, Section 4 of the Constitution, and therefore constitute an impeachable offense.'"
"The Republican staff memo went on to describe this in detail, and to explain how January 6 was very different from the first Trump impeachment. The memo did not focus solely on Donald Trump’s Ellipse speech, or on the words of incitement in that speech," the book continues. "It was broader—including Trump’s 'rhetoric' before the election, and his efforts to pressure state officials, among other things."
Cheney goes on to cite the conclusion, which she calls "clear and direct" on Trump's conduct.
It says his actions were "a serious act, political in nature, that corrupted or subverted the political process and threatened the order of political society. As such, in my opinion, the House of Representatives is justified in pursuing the constitutional remedy of impeachment.
"The political question of whether a president should be impeached with just 12 days left in office was, according to the memo, 'a judgment call,' but there was no question, according to this analysis, that the president’s actions had constituted an impeachable offense."
Despite this, Cole voted against it and against any further investigation.
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