Central Coast representatives vote for articles of impeachment

Two central coast representatives voted for the two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump Wednesday.

"Madam Speaker, I rise today to defend our Constitution and our democracy by voting for the two articles of impeachment," California 17th District Representative Anna Eshoo said on the House floor Wednesday.

"I do not take pride in impeaching a sitting president of the United States," California 20th District Representative Jimmy Panetta said in part, in a statement Wednesday. "But as the U.S. representative for the central coast of California, I am upholding my obligation under the United States Constitution and to protect the future of our democracy."

The House voted to impeach President Donald Trump Wednesday on charges of abusing his power and obstructing congressional investigations. The House voted 230-197 to charge Trump with abuse of power. Two Democrats voted in opposition and one voted "present." The House voted 229-198 to charge Trump with obstruction of Congress. In that vote, three Democrats voted against and one again voted "present." All Republicans opposed both articles

This is just the third time a president has been impeached.

While the House was casting its final votes, the president was holding a rally in Battle Creek, Michigan, where Trump called the impeachment "lawless" and "political suicide" for the Democratic Party.

Just hours before the U.S. House of Representatives approved two articles of impeachment against President Trump, a new national NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll found the American public remains deadlocked over whether he should be impeached and removed from office.

Forty-eight percent of Americans believe that Trump should be impeached and removed from office, while an equal 48 percent say they disagree, a small difference in the president's favor from the same poll in October.

"We have done our duty here in the House. We have upheld the Constitution," California District 28 Representative Adam Schiff said. "The question now is, will the Senate uphold its duty? Will the senators uphold their oath? Do the senators want to hear from the witnesses? Do they want a real trial? We have to hope that they do."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi did not commit to a timeline of when she will deliver articles of impeachment to the Senate.

The Senate sits as a high court of impeachment and senators will consider evidence, hear witnesses and vote to acquit or convict the impeached official.

The Constitution requires a two-thirds vote of the Senate to convict.

The penalty for an impeached official upon conviction is removal from office.

California Senator Kamala Harris said in part in a statement, "I thank my colleagues in the House of Representatives for conducting a thorough investigation that lived up our founders' expectations. The facts led to two clear and troubling articles of impeachment—all despite unprecedented obstruction from the president. It will soon fall on the United States Senate to fulfill its constitutional duty to review the facts of the case and determine whether the president's actions warrant his removal from office. In the impeachment trial of President Trump, I will fight for truth, fairness, and justice. I urge each of my Senate colleagues to do the same."

California Senator Dianne Feinstein said in part in a statement,
"When the trial begins, each of us will swear an oath to 'do impartial justice according to the Constitution and laws.' To me, that means objectively reviewing the information presented and making an informed judgment. That's why it's so important that the facts are laid out before the Senate. The Constitution and the people of America expect and deserve an impartial but informed jury."