LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Kentucky’s lone Democratic congressman said Wednesday he believes President Donald Trump has committed impeachable offenses but tamped down talk of following through, saying the House should only pursue impeachment if there’s bipartisan support.
During a debate highlighting stark contrasts with his GOP challenger on tax and heath care polices, it was U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth’s stance on impeachment that drew some of the sharpest criticism from Republican Vickie Yates Glisson.
“I believe that President Trump has committed impeachable offenses,” Yarmuth said when the subject came up during a question from the audience. “I have co-sponsored a resolution for impeachment. I don’t believe we should act on it.”
Yarmuth, who said he’s is in line to become House Budget Committee chairman if Democrats take control of the House in next month’s election, said impeachment is a “political process.” For it to be “legitimate,” he said, it has to receive bipartisan support.
“And until the point at which there are both Republicans and Democrats who think it is necessary to impeach not just this president but any president, I don’t think we should actually waste the Congress’ or the country’s time in doing it,” Yarmuth said.
Glisson said Yarmuth’s stance shows the veteran congressman is too partisan to effectively represent the Louisville-area 3rd District.
“It’s hard to believe that he could say that yes he filed articles of impeachment against our president, but yet he doesn’t anticipate even moving forward on that,” she told a lunch-time audience during the hourlong debate.
Glisson added: “I would not be filing things if I wasn’t serious about moving forward on those. I find that to be just appalling, I really do, that I would do something like that to an individual and I had no intention of moving forward.”
Afterward, Yarmuth said he had signed onto the articles of impeachment after the main Democratic sponsor agreed to make an addition about Trump’s threats to challenge licenses for broadcast news networks. During the debate, Yarmuth accused the Republican president of violating the U.S. Constitution’s provision banning the acceptance of gifts from foreign and domestic interests.
Trump won Kentucky in a landslide in the 2016 election, and the state’s GOP congressional delegation has strongly supported his agenda. But Louisville remains one of the state’s last Democratic strongholds. Yarmuth has cruised to re-election victories but faces his most serious challenge from Glisson, who formerly served as Kentucky’s top-ranking health official in Republican Gov. Matt Bevin’s administration. During her tenure, Glisson led the state’s effort to impose work requirements on Medicaid recipients. A federal judge has blocked the state from enforcing the changes, though Kentucky officials have expressed optimism that the federal government will reapprove Kentucky’s Medicaid changes.
Glisson said Yarmuth has tried to tie her to Trump and Bevin to distract attention from his “failed” congressional career.
“I’m not these folks,” she said. “I’m my own individual, and I’m an independent voice.”
On health-care policy, Yarmuth said he was proud of his role in passing the Affordable Care Act during former President Barack Obama’s administration.
The law has enabled people with pre-existing health conditions to obtain insurance, allowed young adults to stay on their parent’s policies and saved families from ruinous health care expenses, he said. Yarmuth said he’s convinced a Medicare-for-all health plan “is the right way to go,” and said Democrats intend to hold hearings to determine whether it’s affordable if they retake the House.
Glisson said the ACA created a “horrible situation” for states due to expanded Medicaid rolls that she predicted will create financial strain. She said her background as a health-care lawyer would allow her to help change the law to make health care more affordable and accessible.
Yarmuth touted his “F’’ rating from the National Rifle Association, saying: “I’m proud of it.” Glisson called for an “effective” gun background check system and a greater emphasis on mental health as a deterrent to gun violence. Yarmuth said he agreed with much of what she said about guns, and Glisson then accused his campaign of misrepresenting her position on gun issues.
The congressman blamed the Republican tax cut for the sharp rise in federal deficits, saying the bulk of the tax relief went to corporations and wealthy taxpayers. Glisson credited the tax measure for spurring strong economic growth and said it has helped lower- and middle-income workers. She said one local worker said it had added $45 a week in take-home pay, helping his family afford food and a new vehicle.
“For the Average Joe, let me tell you, $45 a week means a lot,” she said.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.