Democratic presidential candidate criticised for abstaining in Trump impeachment vote
Tulsi Gabbard says she could not vote for either side ‘in good conscience’
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Your support makes all the difference.A Democratic presidential candidate has been criticised for abstaining in the vote to impeach Donald Trump.
Tulsi Gabbard, a Hawaii congresswoman, gave two “present” votes on whether the US president abused his power in dealings with Ukraine and whether he had attempted to obstruct Congress.
She has been attacked by fellow Democrats for not choosing a side in such a historic moment, which ultimately saw Mr Trump become the third president to be impeached in US history.
“To not take a stand one way or another on a day of such great consequence … is quite difficult,” said New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
“We are sent here to lead,” she said, BuzzFeed News reported.
Former Senator Claire McCaskill called the move “stupid”.
“I don’t know what [Ms Gabbard] thinks she is accomplishing,” she told MSNBC. “I guess getting attention. We’re talking about her.”
Ms Gabbard was the only person to give a “present” vote in Mr Trump’s impeachment in the House of Representatives.
The congresswoman, who is running for president, explained her rationale in a video, saying she had read the 658-page impeachment report and disagreed with how both sides had acted during the process.
She said: “I could not in good conscience vote against impeachment because I believe President Trump is guilty of wrongdoing.
“I also could not in good conscience vote for impeachment because removal of a sitting president must not be the culmination of a partisan process fuelled by tribal animosities”.
The Democrat said she believed Americans will decide to denounce Mr Trump for “innumerable improprieties and abuses” at the ballot box.
The US president was impeached for abusing his power in attempting to extort Ukraine into investigating a political rival and then obstructing an investigation into his behaviour.
The Senate, which holds a Republican majority, will hold a trial in January for Mr Trump to decide on whether he should be removed from office.
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