Cedar Rapids, IA, USA  
Digital Edition Digital Edition
Log in Log In My Account My Account
Subscribe Today
The Gazette The Gazette
The Gazette The Gazette
  • COVID-19
  • News
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Food and Drink
  • Business
Digital Edition Digital Edition
Log in Log In My Account My Account
Subscribe
CLOSE
The Gazette
Subscribe
My Account
  • News
    • All News
    • Election 2020
    • Coronavirus
    • Business News
    • Community
    • Crime and Courts
    • Education
    • Government
    • Health
    • Nation and World
    • Time Machine
    • Search Archive

    Our Journalists

    • Rod Boshart
    • Lee Hermiston
    • Erin Jordan
    • James Q. Lynch
    • Trish Mehaffey
    • Vanessa Miller
    • Kat Russell
    • Grace King
    • John Steppe
    • Gage Miskimen
    • Marissa Payne
  • Sports
    • All Sports
    • Iowa Hawkeyes
    • Hawkeye Football
    • Hawkeye Basketball
    • Prep Sports
    • Prep Volleyball
    • Prep Football
    • Prep Basketball
    • Prep Wrestling
    • Iowa State Cyclones
    • UNI Panthers
    • Small College Sports
    • Minor League Sports
    • Outdoors

    Sports Desk

    • Mike Hlas
    • Jeff Johnson
    • Jeff Linder
    • J.R. Ogden
    • K.J. Pilcher
    • Leah Vann
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Editorial Mission
    • Guest Columnists
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Political Cartoons
    • Staff Columnists
    • Staff Editorials
    • Submit a Letter or Column

    Our Columnists

    • Todd Dorman
    • Adam Sullivan
  • Food and Drink
    • All Food and Drink
    • Chew on This
    • Recipes
    • Restaurants
  • Business
    • All Business
    • Agriculture
    • Business Notes
    • Companies
    • Personal Finance
    • Economy
    • Employment
    • Energy
    • Manufacturing
    • Openings & Closures
    • Real Estate
    • Retail
    • Small Business
    • Transportation

    Our Journalists

    • Rod Boshart
    • Erin Jordan
    • John Steppe
  • Obituaries
    • All Obituaries
    • In Memory Of
    • Submit an Obituary
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • Daily News Podcast
    • Fact Checker
    • Hlastradamus Odds
    • Iowa Prep Sports
    • On Iowa
    • On Iowa Politics
    • On UNI
    • Pinning Combination
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Art
    • Books
    • Museums & Galleries
    • Music
    • Theater
    • Things To Do
  • Living
    • All Living
    • Health & Wellness
    • Home & Garden
    • Milestones
    • People & Places
    • Pets & Animals
    • Recreation
    • Religion & Belief
    • Travel

    Our Writers

    • Diana Nollen
    • Elijah Decious
  • Kids Gazette
    • See All
    • Kids Cooking Series
    • Kids Galleries
    • Printables
    • Activities
    • Articles
    • Submissions
    • Resources
  • Photos
    • All Photos and Videos
    • The Iowa Photo
    • Photo Store

    Our Photojournalists

    • Andy Abeyta
    • Liz Martin
    • Rebecca Miller
    • Jim Slosiarek
    • Gazette Visuals
  • Milestones
    • All Milestones
    • Anniversaries
    • Days To Remember
    • Engagements
    • Holidays
    • In Remembrance
    • New Arrivals
    • Thank Yous
    • Submit a Milestone
  • Data
    • Arrests
    • Building Permits
    • Interactive Maps & Charts
    • Salaries
  • Gazette Sites
    • Classifieds
    • Corridor Careers
    • Garage Sales
    • Gazette Gives Back
    • Gazette Rewards
    • Gazette Store
    • Green Gazette
    • HER
    • Iowa Wedding Experience
    • Holiday Light Finder
    • Hoopla
    • Iowa Ideas
    • Photo Store
  • Special Events
  • Special Sections
  • Other
    • About The Gazette
    • Archives
    • Article Removal
    • Business Directory
    • CR Arrest Database
    • Mobile Apps
    • Customer Care
    • Order Back Issues
    • Privacy Policies
    • Puzzle Answers
    • Sponsorship Requests
    • Submit a Letter
    • Weather
  • Digital Edition
Daily News PodcastDaily News Podcast
Daily NewslettersDaily Newsletters
Log out

FOLLOW US

The Gazette
  • News
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Food and Drink
  • Business
  • Obituaries
  • Podcasts
  • Entertainment
  • Living
  • Kids Gazette
  • Photos
  • Milestones
  • Data
  • Gazette Sites
  • Special Events
  • Special Sections
  • Other
  • Digital Edition
  • All News
  • Election 2020
  • Coronavirus
  • Business News
  • Community
  • Crime and Courts
  • Education
  • Government
  • Health
  • Nation and World
  • Time Machine
  • Search Archive

Our Journalists

  • Rod Boshart
  • Lee Hermiston
  • Erin Jordan
  • James Q. Lynch
  • Trish Mehaffey
  • Vanessa Miller
  • Kat Russell
  • Grace King
  • John Steppe
  • Gage Miskimen
  • Marissa Payne
  • All Sports
  • Iowa Hawkeyes
  • Hawkeye Football
  • Hawkeye Basketball
  • Prep Sports
  • Prep Volleyball
  • Prep Football
  • Prep Basketball
  • Prep Wrestling
  • Iowa State Cyclones
  • UNI Panthers
  • Small College Sports
  • Minor League Sports
  • Outdoors

Sports Desk

  • Mike Hlas
  • Jeff Johnson
  • Jeff Linder
  • J.R. Ogden
  • K.J. Pilcher
  • Leah Vann
  • All Opinion
  • Editorial Mission
  • Guest Columnists
  • Letters to the Editor
  • Political Cartoons
  • Staff Columnists
  • Staff Editorials
  • Submit a Letter or Column

Our Columnists

  • Todd Dorman
  • Adam Sullivan
  • All Food and Drink
  • Chew on This
  • Recipes
  • Restaurants
  • All Business
  • Agriculture
  • Business Notes
  • Companies
  • Personal Finance
  • Economy
  • Employment
  • Energy
  • Manufacturing
  • Openings & Closures
  • Real Estate
  • Retail
  • Small Business
  • Transportation

Our Journalists

  • Rod Boshart
  • Erin Jordan
  • John Steppe
  • All Obituaries
  • In Memory Of
  • Submit an Obituary
  • All Podcasts
  • Daily News Podcast
  • Fact Checker
  • Hlastradamus Odds
  • Iowa Prep Sports
  • On Iowa
  • On Iowa Politics
  • On UNI
  • Pinning Combination
  • All Entertainment
  • Art
  • Books
  • Museums & Galleries
  • Music
  • Theater
  • Things To Do
  • All Living
  • Health & Wellness
  • Home & Garden
  • Milestones
  • People & Places
  • Pets & Animals
  • Recreation
  • Religion & Belief
  • Travel

Our Writers

  • Diana Nollen
  • Elijah Decious
  • See All
  • Kids Cooking Series
  • Kids Galleries
  • Printables
  • Activities
  • Articles
  • Submissions
  • Resources
  • All Photos and Videos
  • The Iowa Photo
  • Photo Store

Our Photojournalists

  • Andy Abeyta
  • Liz Martin
  • Rebecca Miller
  • Jim Slosiarek
  • Gazette Visuals
  • All Milestones
  • Anniversaries
  • Days To Remember
  • Engagements
  • Holidays
  • In Remembrance
  • New Arrivals
  • Thank Yous
  • Submit a Milestone
  • Arrests
  • Building Permits
  • Interactive Maps & Charts
  • Salaries
  • Classifieds
  • Corridor Careers
  • Garage Sales
  • Gazette Gives Back
  • Gazette Rewards
  • Gazette Store
  • Green Gazette
  • HER
  • Iowa Wedding Experience
  • Holiday Light Finder
  • Hoopla
  • Iowa Ideas
  • Photo Store
  • About The Gazette
  • Archives
  • Article Removal
  • Business Directory
  • CR Arrest Database
  • Mobile Apps
  • Customer Care
  • Order Back Issues
  • Privacy Policies
  • Puzzle Answers
  • Sponsorship Requests
  • Submit a Letter
  • Weather
Daily News PodcastDaily News Podcast Daily NewslettersDaily Newsletters
LOG OUT

FOLLOW US

More Stories

Brucemore celebrates 40 years of being open to the public

IMU COVID vaccine clinic coming

Meet the Iowan behind the Vaccine Hunter website

Wellington Heights home gutted in 2017 fire finally coming down

26-year-old man killed in shooting in NE Cedar Rapids

Peggy Whitson to be keynote speaker for Iowa Ideas 2021

Here’s how to get rid of your derecho tree debris

Livestream: Funeral for Iowa state trooper Jim Smith

Home / News / Government & Politics

Democrat Cindy Axne sole Iowa vote for impeachment

By: Erin Murphy Jan. 13, 2021 6:17 pm Updated: Jan. 13, 2021 6:17 pm
Democrat Cindy Axne sole Iowa vote for impeachment

DES MOINES - U.S. Rep. Cindy Axne, the lone Democrat in Iowa's congressional delegation, Wednesday cast the lone vote from the state in favor of impeaching Republican President Donald Trump.

Iowa's Republican U.S. House members, Ashley Hinson, Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Randy Feenstra, voted against impeachment.

It was the second time the Democrat-majority U.S. House impeached Trump during his term, which ends next week, this time over his 'incitement of insurrection” after his lies about election fraud and incendiary calls to action provoked a siege on the U.S. Capitol last week that left five dead, including a Capitol Police officer.

The three Iowa Republicans who voted against impeachment - all freshmen in their first days in office - said they believe impeachment will prevent the nation from moving forward.

'President Trump, who has committed to a peaceful transition of power, only has seven days left in his term. It is time for our country to come together and move forward - not to pursue divisive and rushed political exercises,” Randy Feenstra, who represents western Iowa's 4th District, said in a statement. 'It has been a challenging year, but we must not forget that we are one Nation, under God - and I'm confident that together, we can work towards a brighter future.”

Mariannette Miller-Meeks, speaking on a Cedar Rapids news radio program, said impeaching Trump a week shy of the end of his term would 'only further divide the nation and make it more difficult for President-elect Joe Biden to unify and lead our nation.”

Asked whether Trump needs to be held accountable for inciting last week's mob violence, Miller-Meeks said, 'There are (other) ways to hold the president accountable.” She noted House Republicans offered alternatives, including censure, Democrats panned that as a slap on the wrist without having consequences.

Axne, in her second term representing central and southwest Iowa's 3rd District, said she voted to impeach because of Trump's 'dangerous and deceitful rhetoric” that sparked the U.S. Capitol attacks.

'The President's actions - the deliberate repetition of falsehoods and calls to ignore a democratic election - must have consequences,” Axne said in a statement. 'Incitement of an insurrection is a high crime against the United States, and the Constitutional consequence for such an act is impeachment.”

Axne also pushed back at Republicans' argument that impeaching Trump with just a week left is unnecessary.

'Regardless of the remaining time in the President's term, his crime is too great for us to ignore. For the safety of our nation and its citizens, President Trump must be removed from office,” Axne said.

The House's vote to impeach, however, does not remove Trump from office. That would require a conviction in the U.S. Senate, where Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, of Kentucky, said Wednesday there is not sufficient time to complete the procedure in that chamber before Trump's term ends.

U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson, who represents Eastern Iowa's 1st District, said Trump bears responsibility for the attacks on the Capitol and she wishes he had spoken sooner to quell the rioters. But the Republican freshman voted against impeachment, citing what she described as a rushed process and, again, concern about its impact on the nation.

'Impeachment will only serve to feed the flames and further divide our nation,” Hinson said in a statement. 'Next week, there will be a peaceful transition of power to the Biden Administration, and we must re-focus on moving this country forward and solving the everyday problems facing Americans. … While last week was one of the darkest days in our nation's history, I am committed to unifying our country and serving Iowans because I know there will be brighter days ahead.”

Republican U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley said he was 'ashamed of the insurrectionists that broke into our Capitol,” but he sees no point in impeaching Trump at this time.

'But there's a lot of irritation people want to express and this is one way of doing it,” Grassley said during an interview on KXEL-AM radio. However, with just a week until inauguration, 'I haven't been thinking about anything except how can I work with President Biden, first of all, to do what he says he wants to do - unite the country. If Chuck Grassley can help him do that, and I want to do that.

'(Biden) needs to get his Cabinet in place right away. For most of the people he's nominated, I probably can help him do that. We need to get the show on the road and his program. Anything that we did with impeachment would detract from it. Even the talk of it detracts from it.”

A spokesman for Republican U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst said she is 'focused on ensuring a peaceful transfer of power, keeping our country safe and secure, and truly healing our nation.”

Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Mark Smith, in a statement, described Trump as a 'clear and present danger to the Constitution,” and called Iowa Republicans who voted against impeachment spineless.

'Rather than stand up to sedition, Ashley Hinson, Mariannette Miller-Meeks, and Randy Feenstra have chosen Trump over their oath to the Constitution,” Smith said. 'They should be ashamed of their spinelessness and Iowans will hold them accountable.”

Republican Party of Iowa Chairman Jeff Kaufmann called the impeachment vote, which 10 Republicans overall supported, '(Democratic U.S. House Speaker) Nancy Pelosi's newest political skit.”

'For weeks now Democrats have been calling for the country to come together and unify, but this political theater only divides us further,” Kaufmann said.

James Q. Lynch of The Gazette and Tom Barton of the Quad City Times contributed to this report.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) presides over the vote to impeach U.S. President Donald Trump for the second time in a little over a year in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol on January 13, 2021, in Washington, DC. The House voted to impeach Trump on the charge of 'incitement of insurrection,' 232-197 after a mob of his supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol where Congress was working to certify the Electoral College victory of President-elect Joe Biden on January 6. 10 Republicans voted to impeach. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/TNS)
Daily Report, Iowa, Election 2020

Erin Murphy

’I would do it again,’ Reynolds says of getting J&J…

Ernst bill bans meat bans

Capitol Ideas column: Iowa justices leave redistricting questions open

Bottle bill changes dead, prisons to get funding boost, Iowa…

Gov. Kim Reynolds calls for ban of ’vaccine passports’

All articles by Erin

Give us feedback

We work hard to provide fair, accurate coverage because we value your trust. If you find an error or omission in our reporting, please tell us here.

Submit a story idea

Do you have a story idea that we should look into? Please tell us here.

Related Stories

800,000 Iowans vaccinated so far

800,000 Iowans vaccinated so far

Gage Miskimen Health Care and Medicine Apr. 15, 2021 2:55 pm

Iowa adds 445 COVID-19 cases on Tuesday

Iowa adds 445 COVID-19 cases on Tuesday

Gage Miskimen Health Care and Medicine Apr. 13, 2021 3:41 pm

Iowa adds 666 virus cases on Thursday

Iowa adds 666 virus cases on Thursday

Gage Miskimen Health Care and Medicine Apr. 8, 2021 4:39 pm

Government & Politics

Crackdowns on advance voting belie growing popularity among all voters

Crackdowns on advance voting belie growing popularity among all voters

AP

News Apr. 16, 2021 5:19 pm

100 days after attack, Hinson wants Capitol fence to be…

100 days after attack, Hinson wants Capitol fence to be…

James Q. Lynch

Government & Politics Apr. 16, 2021 8:50 pm

Michael Richards, reappointed to the Board of Regents

Michael Richards, reappointed to the Board of Regents

Vanessa Miller

Higher Ed Apr. 16, 2021 6:46 pm

Cedar Rapids has chance to pitch request for $39.5M to…

Cedar Rapids has chance to pitch request for $39.5M to…

Marissa Payne

News Apr. 16, 2021 7:30 pm

News

Here’s how to get rid of your derecho tree debris

Here’s how to get rid of your derecho tree debris

, Marissa Payne

Community Apr. 16, 2021 9:30 pm

Iowan accused of assaulting officers during Capitol riot

Iowan accused of assaulting officers during Capitol riot

Washington Post

Crime and Courts Apr. 16, 2021 9:11 pm

Michael Richards, reappointed to the Board of Regents

Michael Richards, reappointed to the Board of Regents

Vanessa Miller

Higher Ed Apr. 16, 2021 6:46 pm

Cedar Rapids has chance to pitch request for $39.5M to…

Cedar Rapids has chance to pitch request for $39.5M to…

Marissa Payne

News Apr. 16, 2021 7:30 pm

Sports

5 things I’m watching at my first Iowa football open…

5 things I’m watching at my first Iowa football open…

Leah Vann

Hawkeye Football Apr. 16, 2021 7:56 pm

Photos: Iowa Hawkeyes softball vs. Northwestern Wildcats

Photos: Iowa Hawkeyes softball vs. Northwestern Wildcats

Jim Slosiarek

Apr. 16, 2021 7:45 pm

Kylie Feuerbach: Former Cyclone, future Hawkeye

Kylie Feuerbach: Former Cyclone, future Hawkeye

Jeff Linder

Hawkeye Basketball Apr. 16, 2021 7:10 pm

Working for the Weekend: Hard work powers Central’s Blade Durbala…

Working for the Weekend: Hard work powers Central’s Blade Durbala…

K.J. Pilcher

Sports Apr. 16, 2021 7:21 pm

Opinion

Helping a stranger in the April rain

Helping a stranger in the April rain

Kurt Ullrich

Guest Columnists Apr. 16, 2021 2:17 pm

Migrant children are not ’our problem,’ governor — they’re our…

Migrant children are not ’our problem,’ governor — they’re our…

Staff Editorial

Opinion Apr. 16, 2021 2:51 pm

’Back the Blue’ legislation makes Iowans less safe and free

’Back the Blue’ legislation makes Iowans less safe and free

Christina Bohannan and Janice Weiner

Guest Columnists Apr. 15, 2021 5:36 pm

Lack of oversight at Iowa’s prisons is a deadly problem

Lack of oversight at Iowa’s prisons is a deadly problem

Staff editorial

Staff Editorials Apr. 16, 2021 7:55 am

FOLLOW US

The Gazette is Iowa’s independent, employee-owned source for local, state, and national news coverage.

© 2021 The Gazette

All Rights Reserved.

  • Advertise with us
  • Privacy
  • Web Accessibility

Contact Us

  • 116 3rd St SE
    Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
  • customercare@thegazette.com
  • (319) 398-8333
  • Live Chat

Links

  • Puzzle Answers
  • CR Arrest Database
  • Article Removal Request
  • Gazette Archives
  • Green Gazette
  • Corridor Careers Jobs
  • Work at The Gazette
  • Customer Care

© 2021 The Gazette

All Rights Reserved.

  • Advertise with us
  • Privacy
  • Web Accessibility
Folience A Folience Company