Impeachment Vote: SW Riverside County GOP Lawmakers Call For Calm

SOUTHWEST RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — The two Republican congressmen who represent Southwest Riverside County in the U.S. House of Representatives have called for calm as their colleagues voted Wednesday to impeach President Donald Trump.

Reps. Ken Calvert, whose 42nd Congressional District represents most of the region, and Darrell Issa of the 5oth District that includes part of Temecula, each voted against impeachment. They joined nine other California GOP congressional members in casting no votes.

Calvert issued a statement Tuesday on the House resolution calling for the invocation of the 25th Amendment and on the impending impeachment vote. He condemned violence but made clear that he did not support impeachment.

“Like most Americans, I’m outraged by the violent attack on our Capitol last week. The reprehensible actions that spilt blood in the very home of our democracy must have consequences for those who committed them.

"Our nation is wounded and needs to heal. The first step towards that healing is for all Americans to support the Constitutional transfer of power on January 20th without any additional violence. Any further calls for violence must be rejected and condemned.

"Invoking the 25th Amendment or pursuing impeachment in the final hours of this administration will only tear our country further apart. My focus in the days ahead will be on working with my colleagues to address the ongoing pandemic and many challenges that lie before us. We can demonstrate the strength of our republic by setting aside our partisan divisions and doing what is best for the American people.”

The House voted Tuesday night to approve a resolution calling for Trump to be removed from office under the 25th Amendment in the wake of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol that left five people dead. The vote was largely symbolic because Vice President Mike Pence said earlier he would not invoke the 25th. On Wednesday, impeachment hearings began in the House.

Calvert objected to last week's certification of the Electoral College vote, but he subsequently said he supported the transfer of power to President-elect Joe Biden and planned to attend the Jan. 20 inauguration.

As with Calvert, Issa objected to the certification of Electoral College votes in Arizona and Pennsylvania. Since then, he has criticized the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and any future violence.

The Southwest Riverside County lawmakers have called on the president's supporters to remain peaceful. In a tweet, Issa encouraged "all demonstrators to show their patriotism by honoring our democracy and obeying the nation’s laws."