Rep. Greg Pence, R-Indiana, has criticized plans by House Democrats to draft articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump, calling the move a “political ploy” and “sham.”
The announcement, made by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, on Thursday, came after two months of investigation sparked by a still-anonymous government whistleblower’s complaint.
“I’m disappointed. I believe it’s a sham,” Pence said in a phone interview on Thursday. “…I don’t think the president did anything wrong.”
At the center of the inquiry is Trump’s July 25 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in which he asked for a “favor” — to investigate a Democratic rival for president, according to The Associated Press.
On Tuesday, Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee released a 300-page report, stating that Trump seriously misused the power of his office for personal political gain by seeking foreign intervention in the American election process and obstructed Congress by stonewalling efforts to investigate, according to wire reports. The report relies heavily on testimony from current and former U.S. officials who defied White House orders not to appear.
Trump has denied all wrongdoing, describing the call as “beautiful” and also “nothing.”
Pence has repeatedly criticized the impeachment inquiry.
In September, Pence took to Twitter to voice his views on the impeachment inquiry, calling the probe a “partisan power grab” by Democrats in a tweet.
“@SpeakerPelosi’s #ImpeachmentAgenda puts a partisan power grab above the American people,” Pence said in the tweet. “@HouseDemocrats were elected on a promise to fix our infrastructure, improve vets care & (decrease) healthcare costs. It seems their #ImpeachmentAgenda is more important than the American people.”
If Trump is impeached and removed from office, Pence’s brother and Columbus native, Vice President Mike Pence, would be sworn in as president.
