RINO Anti-Trumper Brian Fitzpatrick tries to play both sides of the fence. Wonder if his ties to Ukraine and the Beau Biden Foundation have anything to do with that?
Fitzpatrick votes against impeachment, favors censure of Trump
Bucks County Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick voted against impeachment Wednesday, instead introducing a bill Tuesday night seeking to censure the outgoing Republican president for his role in instigating last week’s riot in the U.S. Capitol.
Fitzpatrick's resolution would censure and condemn Trump for “trying to unlawfully overturn the 2020 presidential election and violating his oath of office on January 6, 2021.”
In a news release announcing his proposed censure, Fitzpatrick described its purpose as two-fold: “Hold the president fully and unequivocally accountable for his actions and simultaneously calm and heal the fever-pitch tensions in our country.”
The draft also affirms that Joseph Biden was duly elected the 46th president of the United States, certified the winner on Jan.6, and will be sworn into office Jan. 20.
The legislation specifically states that Trump’s conduct on Jan. 6 “followed his prior efforts to subvert and obstruct the certification of the results of the 2020 presidential election.”
The censure described Trump as acting in a manner “grossly incompatible with self-governance and the rule of law,” and condemns and censures him for “unlawfully trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election.”
“President Trump’s attempts to undermine the outcome of the 2020 election have been unconscionable. The combination of a false information campaign coupled with inflammatory rhetoric led to the devastation that I was a personal witness to on the House Floor on January 6th," Fitzpatrick said in a statement Tuesday night.
"His actions threatened the integrity of our democracy, Congress, and his own Vice President. For months, President Trump has been lying to the American people with false information, and giving his supporters false expectations. The election is over.”
Fitzpatrick, who represents the 1st Congressional District, started working on the legislation after pro-Trump insurrectionists rioted at the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to overturn the electoral college vote certification of Biden’s win.
He said a second impeachment would result in a second acquittal that would “further divide and inflame the country.”
"Forcing a time-consuming and divisive trial in the Senate" — which cannot happen until after Biden takes office — would also undermine Biden's "ability to govern effectively at the beginning and most critical time of his presidency,” Fitzpatrick said in the release.
The censure essentially puts Congress on record as condemning the actions of Trump for violating his oath of office and holding him accountable, according to the congressman, who won re-election in November.
“Our country must both hold the president accountable and provide some closure and the opportunity to begin anew with the incoming administration,”
The bipartisan, bicameral initiative is the alternative to the impeachment efforts underway in the House, said Fitzpatrick.
“This is an important step to hold the president accountable. Congress must make clear that it rejects extremism and condemns the president’s actions,” said New York's Reed. “We will continue to push for congressional leaders to work with us on investigating the events surrounding this dark period in our history and make sure it never happens again with the public’s trust in our democratic institutions restored.”
Fitzpatrick has faced backlash from members of both parties in his district since releasing comments calling the Jan. 6 riots “nothing short of a coup attempt.”
Republican Trump supporters are angry the Republican congressman and retired FBI agent blamed Trump for the violence in the Capitol and called rioters “criminals and thugs.”
On his social media, Fitzpatrick also called out Trump as “lying to his supporters with false information and false expectations,” said Trump “lit the flame of incitement and owns responsibility for this,” and urged a peaceful transition of power.
He was among the nine Republicans from the Pennsylvania Capitol Hill delegation to criticize Gov. Tom Wolf and Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar for "conflicts and irregularities" in the election that "greatly eroded public trust in the Commonwealth’s electoral system.”
In the week following the election he said legal challenges should run their course, but noted he saw no direct evidence of voting irregularities.
In recent weeks, Fitzpatrick has distanced himself from Trump. He was the only Pennsylvania Republican who did not sign a letter of objection to the electoral college certification of Biden’s presidential win.
https://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/story/news/2021/01/12/brian-fitzpatrick-censure-condemn-trump-capitol-insurrection/6640470002/