Former President Donald Trump celebrated the announced retirement of Republican U.S. Rep. Fred Upton in a brief Tuesday statement in which crowed over the political end of one of his 10 Republican impeachers.
Upton joined nine other Republicans, including fellow Michigan U.S. Rep. Peter Meijer of Grand Rapids Township, who voted to impeach Trump after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
“UPTON QUITS!” Trump wrote in a statement. “4 down and 6 to go. Others losing badly, who’s next?”
Upton has defended his impeachment decision, noting in a January statement that he always said he would support Trump when he agreed with him and disagree when he thought Trump was wrong.
“Congress should not tolerate any effort to impede the peaceful transfer of power,” the congressman said more than two months ago.
Just before Upton cast his impeachment vote in January 2021 about a week after the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, he explained his rationale to The Detroit News: “I’m going to do the right thing. The Constitution has to come first, I’m sorry. The president’s failure to take any blame for what happened last week is inexcusable.”
The St. Joseph lawmaker announced his retirement Tuesday morning on the House floor, more than three weeks after Trump endorsed U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga of Holland for the new 4th Congressional District. Upton and Huizenga were drawn into the same district in the most recent round of redistricting.
Trump’s endorsement of Huizenga came after he first endorsed state Rep. Steve Carra of Three Rivers for the district. Carra dropped out March 15 after Trump endorsed Huizenga.
The new district runs from southern Ottawa County to northern Berrien County, covering all of Allegan and Van Buren counties, part of Kalamazoo County and Battle Creek, as well as Upton’s hometown of St. Joseph.
Trump also has endorsed Meijer’s GOP challenger, former Housing and Urban Development official John Gibbs.
Upton is the fourth of 10 Republicans who voted to impeach the president who has decided to leave office. Counties contained within Upton’s new district censured the congressman last year for his impeachment vote.
Staff writer Melissa Nann Burke contributed.
___
(c)2022 The Detroit News
Visit The Detroit News at www.detnews.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
—-
This content is published through a licensing agreement with Acquire Media using its NewsEdge technology.
They were the problem that the Republican Party suffered with for the longest time and many of us were ecstatic when finally our voice was heard by nominating Donald trump. They were part of the inner establishment that foisted meiocre candidates with mediocre ideas on us ever since Ronald Reagan left office. So they had their revenge by voting to impeach then realized that wasn’t such a good idea when the result turned out to be Joe Biden.
GOOD.. NOW lets work on all the rest!