Senator Joe Manchin is urging the House to end their push for the second impeachment of President Trump saying the process will only create further division within the country and Democrats do not have the votes in the Senate. During an interview with Fox News, the West Virginia senator made it clear that Democrats most likely do not have the support to convict and remove President Trump for allegedly inciting an insurrection.
“I don’t see any of that, because there will be 48, still 48 Democrats, until we seat Warnock and Senator Ossoff,” Manchin said. “So, until that happens, you need 67 votes. I think, my arithmetic, that means we have 19 Republicans. I don’t see that. And I think the House should know that also. We have been trying to send that message over. They know the votes aren’t there. You would think that they would do that.”
“I think this is so ill-advised for Joe Biden to be coming in, trying to heal the country, trying to be the president of all the people, when we’re going to be so divided and fighting again. Let the judicial system do its job,” he continued. “And then, we’re a country of the rule of law. That’s the bedrock of who we are. Let that take its place. Let the investigations go on. Let the evidence come forth, and then we will go forward from there. There’s no rush to do this impeachment now. We can do it later if they think it’s necessary.”
Manchin’s remarks come after he has appeared be changing his tune on some of the more controversial proposals in the Democrats’ agenda, including giving statehood to Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C.
“The D.C. statehood, I don’t see the need for the D.C. statehood with the type of services that we’re getting in D.C. right now. We have representation. They say no vote, you know, without representation. They have no voice, but they do. I’d have to hear more that, but right now I’m not convinced that’s the way to go.”
The debate for a second impeachment is set to begin on Wednesday.
