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How Metro Kansas City's Representatives Voted On Impeachment

The United States House of Representatives voted Wednesday on two articles of impeachment against President Donald J. Trump.

The first article charged Trump with abusing the power of his office. The second article charged him with obstruction of Congress. He is the third president in American history to be impeached by the House.

The case now moves to the Senate, which will vote next month on whether to remove Trump from office.

Voting to impeach:

Rep. Emanuel Cleaver
Democrat, Missouri's 5th Congressional District
Article I: Yes
Article II: Yes

Cleaver told KCUR that he would prefer to censure President Trump for allegedly pressuring Ukraine to investigate a political rival. But because the president hadn’t apologized, Cleaver said Congress needed to send a strong message. He also says people shouldn’t be excited. “This is not a great joy for me. I am sick at the stomach.”

Rep. Sharice Davids
Democrat, Kansas' 3rd Congressional District
Article I: Yes
Article II: Yes

"Today, I will uphold my oath of office and vote for both articles of impeachment. This is a sad moment for our country. But we must continue to make progress on the issues impacting our community, and that is exactly what I intend to do," Davids said on Twitter.

Voting against impeachment:

Rep. Sam Graves
Republican, Missouri's 6th Congressional District
Article I: No
Article II: No

“I strongly opposed the articles of impeachment brought by the liberal majority. Perhaps now we can get back to work for the American people and accomplish many of the important things that we should have finished months ago — like securing better trade deals and fixing our nation's aging infrastructure,” Graves said in a statement after the vote.

Rep. Vicki Hartzler
Repbulican, Missouri's 4th Congressional District
Article I: No
Article II: No

“Today’s vote is a gross abuse of power by Congress. This entire process to impeach President Trump is nothing more than a political calculation being made to undo the voice of nearly 63 million Americans. House Democrats fear they cannot beat him fairly at the ballot box, so they are intent in removing him at all costs,” Hartzler said in a news release on Wednesday.

Rep. Steve Watkins
Republican, Kansas' 2nd Congressional District
Article I: No
Article II: No

"After three years of obstruction and resistance, Democrats brought forward articles of impeachment that prove once and for all this entire process has been nothing more than desperate political theatre," Watkins said in a statement on Wednesday. "The American people deserve better. I will be voting no on both articles of impeachment. The facts show President Trump has not committed an impeachable offense. I was elected to Congress to deliver results for Kansans — not waste their time and tax dollars on a baseless witch hunt designed to delegitimize the 2016 election and divide our nation."

A free press is among our country’s founding principles and most precious resources. As director of content-journalism at KCUR, I want everyone in our part of America to know we see them and we’re listening. I work to make sure the stories we tell and the conversations we convene reflect our complex realities, informing and inspiring all of us to meet the profound challenges of our time. Email me at cj@kcur.org.
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