Local representatives vote on articles of impeachment

OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — For only the third time in history, the House of Representatives impeached the president of the United States on Wednesday night.

As expected, all representatives of Iowa and Nebraska voted along party lines, with Democrats voting yes on both articles of impeachment and Republicans voting no.

Article 1 - Abuse of Power

Article 2 - Obstruction of Justice

Now that President Trump is impeached, a trial will be held in the Senate to determine if the president will be removed from office.

The trial will likely take place in January--but in the Republican-controlled Senate, removing the president is unlikely.

Iowa Representatives Cindy Axne and Steve King released statements following their votes:

Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts also chimed in following the vote:

“Tonight’s vote revealed that Nancy Pelosi’s Articles of Impeachment were simply a partisan power play by House Democrats,” said Gov. Ricketts. “They have wasted countless hours and millions of taxpayer dollars trying to remove a duly elected president at the expense of the priorities of the American people. I expect President Trump to be fully exonerated by the Senate.”

Nebraska Democratic Party Chair Jane Kleeb issued this statement after the vote:

“I applaud the brave members of the House who voted to stand up to this criminal bully of a president,” Kleeb said. “Unfortunately, Nebraska’s GOP members of Congress — Reps. Don Bacon, Jeff Fortenberry and Adrian Smith — showed they were cowards by voting against the measure. They have put their party ahead of our country and Constitution. The survival of our democracy is at stake.Trump is a threat to our democracy and national security. Those who voted for the articles of impeachment are giving our nation a path to restoring the rule of law and defending our Constitution.”

Nebraska Senator Deb Fischer released the following statement:

“From the day President Trump was elected, Democrats have wanted to impeach and remove him from office, and today’s vote was the culmination of their efforts. This process was unfair, secretive, and highly partisan. House Democrats did not provide President Trump the basic fairness afforded to other presidents in past impeachment inquiries. As disappointed as I am in the way these proceedings were conducted in the House, I must now fulfill my constitutional duty as a juror in a Senate trial and I will assess all information as it becomes available to me.”