COLUMBUS – The U.S. House of Representatives voted Wednesday to impeach President Donald Trump on two charges: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. And no surprises here: Ohio's U.S. representatives voted along party lines.
District 1 - Rep. Steve Chabot (R) - Nay to both. The Cincinnati-area Republican told The Atlantic last week he's unconvinced by the case against Trump. He also tweeted: "By pushing ahead with their impeachment craze without any semblance of fairness or due process, Democrats prove their objective is to undo the results of the 2016 election." He also said during a hearing the bar for impeachment is being lowered.
District 2 - Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R) - Nay to both. The southwest Ohio Republican tweeted on Dec. 10: "The facts presented in the Intelligence and Judiciary Committee hearings do not amount to an impeachable offense." The congressman also said, "Unfortunately, this purely political process establishes a sad precedent for our nation."
District 3 - Rep. Joyce Beatty (D) - Yea to both. The Columbus-area Democrat said she fully intends on holding President Trump "accountable for his actions." She recently said it's "crystal clear" the president tried to bribe a foreign country for a political favor, abused the power of the office and "attempted to cover it all up and got caught."
District 4 - Rep. Jim Jordan (R) - Nay to both. The central Ohio Republican is one of President Trump's biggest supporters. As recently as Tuesday, the congressman tweeted: "The media attacks Republican senators for defending the President. But nearly all of the Dem senators running for President called for impeachment before the Ukraine phone call even happened! Americans are so sick of the double standard."
District 5 - Rep. Robert Latta (R) - Nay to both The northwest Ohio Republican does not have any apparent Twitter account, but he called the impeachment inquiry "a sham process" when he voted against a resolution. That was on Facebook in October. He criticized the "closed-door" approach to the inquiry.
District 6 - Rep. Bill Johnson (R) - Nay to both. The eastern Ohio Republican tweeted: "Democrats are pretending to be 'solemn' or 'sad' about their vote today. They aren't sad at all - their minds were set long ago. It's nothing more than a political hit job."
District 7 - Rep. Bob Gibbs (R) - Nay to both. The eastern Ohio Republican tweeted on Dec. 12: "This impeachment is not just ridiculous on the merits, the very process Chairman Nadler & Speaker Pelosi are running is a sham."
District 8 - Rep. Warren Davidson (R) - Nay to both. The western Ohio Republican tweeted a criticism of Democrats on Dec. 11, saying: "The facts they promised are not there, just like their Russia narrative." He called watching the move to impeach "painful."
District 9 - Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D) - Yea to both. The northern Ohio Democrat said on Twitter: "The final report, written by the House Intelligence Committee, concluded that President Trump deliberately subverted American national security and abused his power to advance his own political self-interest."
District 10 - Rep. Michael Turner (R) - Nay to both. The Dayton-area Republican had a well-publicized exchange during the impeachment inquiry when he asked Gordon Sondland, "No one on this planet told you that the president was trying to aid investigators, yes or no?" The diplomat responded: "Yes."
District 11 - Rep. Marcia Fudge (D) - Yea to both. The northeast Ohio Democrat recently retweeted a message from an account called "House Judiciary Dems," which included the message: "President Trump's actions were exactly what America's founders were concerned about. No one is above the law. Not even the President."
District 12 - Rep. Troy Balderson (R) - Nay to both. The central Ohio Republican has retweeted Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has publicly said he will support the White House during a Senate trial. One tweet appeared to complain about a so-called "Impeachment Effect" which was blocking important economic development.
District 13 - Rep. Tim Ryan (D) - Yea to both. The Youngstown-area Democrat, who made national headlines when he made a bid to run against President Trump in the 2020 election, tweeted on Dec. 10: "The President used his public office and taxpayer money for personal and political gain. That is wrong, and he must be held accountable. We cannot have a President that is above the law."
District 14 - Rep. David Joyce (R) - Nay to both. The northeast Ohio Republican wrote in a press release in October: "While Speaker Pelosi and House Democrats continue to focus on this partisan proceeding to undermine the President rather than on working across party lines to deliver results for Americans, I will continue to focus on the issues that matter to Ohio families like combating the opioid epidemic, restoring the Great Lakes, expanding jobs and opportunity, lifting wages and ensuring our veterans get the health care they deserve."
District 15 - Rep. Steve Stivers (R) - Nay to both. The central Ohio Republican wrote in a press release in October: "The American people deserve a fair and transparent process, but today's resolution continues this purely political exercise."
District 16 - Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (R) - Nay to both. The northern Ohio Republican tweeted on Dec. 10 he was against impeachment. He also wrote on Facebook in October: "Simply put, I refuse to support an impeachment inquiry that robs the President and House Republicans of due process and is conducted solely at the discretion of the Democratic majority."
Republicans are already working on how to conduct a Senate trial, which Majority Leader McConnell would like to end in a quick acquittal with few fireworks.