Retiring Florida Republican to vote ‘no’ on articles of impeachment

Rep. Francis Rooney (Fla.), one of the few Republicans who was on the fence about impeaching President Trump, is expected to vote against the two articles of impeachment that House Democrats have brought against the president. 

“The impeachment of a President is among the most somber votes that any Member of Congress can take,” Rooney said Wednesday. “The process should not be rushed or based on an artificial timeline, nor should it be partisan or incomplete.”

He added: “Based on the limited evidence provided to the House of Representatives, the President’s behavior, while inappropriate, was neither criminal, nor does it rise to the level of justifying impeachment.”

The Florida congressman, who is slated to retire at the end of this term, had said that he hadn’t made any final decisions on how he would vote.

“I’m still thinking about it, but I just can’t see something as critical as impeachment without going through a more thorough process than what I’ve seen so far,” he told The Hill on Tuesday, one day before an expected House floor vote on the articles.

Rooney also told CNN on Tuesday that he was “disturbed by the pre-factual judgment” of his fellow GOP lawmakers supporting the Ukrainian interference narrative — a claim that has become a major talking point for the president and his allies — without facts to back it up.

“No intel people on our side of things have corroborated any Ukrainian influence in the 2016 campaign,” he told the network.

It is widely accepted by the U.S. intelligence community that Russia interfered in the 2016 election, not Ukraine.

The House convened Wednesday to debate the articles of impeachment brought forward by House Democrats. A floor vote is expected later in the day. 

Juliegrace Brufke contributed to this report.