Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (R-Ohio) broke with his party Wednesday, voting to impeach President Donald Trump over last week’s riot at the U.S. Capitol Building.
Gonzalez, who just began his second term in the House, accused Trump of inciting the mob that stormed the Capitol Jan. 6 to disrupt the counting of electoral votes.
“During the attack itself, the president abandoned his post while many members asked for help, thus further endangering all present,” Gonzalez wrote in a statement released by his office. “These are fundamental threats not just to people’s lives but to the very foundation of the Republic.”
See my full statement on impeachment below. pic.twitter.com/pBBYRI2RUP — Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (@RepAGonzalez) January 13, 2021
Gonzalez wrote he arrived at the decision to impeach after talking with law enforcement and watching footage of the chaos at the Capitol, which resulted in the deaths of five people.
The vote puts Gonzalez at odds with another prominent Republican in the Ohio delegation, Trump ally Rep. Jim Jordan, who spoke on the House floor defending the president and served as Republican floor manager for Wednesday’s article of impeachment.
Another Ohio Republican, Sen. Rob Portman, has also criticized Trump this week. On Tuesday, Portman said Trump bears “some responsibility” for the Capitol siege and called on the president to disavow violence among supporters.
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