'Present' Pappas Strikes Again... This Time On Impeachment Vote

By Michael Graham, NH Journal

Faced with another sticky political issue dividing his party, Rep. Chris Pappas voted “present” Tuesday, just as he did on aid to Israel earlier this year. It’s a sign, his critics say, that Pappas isn’t tough enough to make the hard calls required as New Hampshire’s next U.S. senator.

Tuesday’s vote was on a motion to table Texas Democratic Rep. Al Green’s latest attempt to impeach President Donald Trump.

The resolution centered on the deaths of Renée Good, Alex Pretti, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, and Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero during encounters with federal immigration officers. Green alleged that Trump had condoned and covered up unjustified killings and had allowed Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection to operate without sufficient accountability.

The official text of H. Res. 1486 contains a single article of impeachment accusing Trump of violating his oath of office and abusing presidential power. It also alleges violations of constitutional protections involving free speech, searches, due process, and judicial oversight.

Some Democrats, including 1st Congressional District candidate Stefany Shaheen and her father, Democratic National Committee member Billy Shaheen, support impeaching Trump. Others see it as a waste of time, given the U.S. Senate’s all-but-certain refusal to convict and remove him from office.

“It’s f***ed up,” a House Democrat told Axios on background.

“Sure, he will excite the non-strategic activist crowd. But why is he empowering Trump?” another told the outlet. “Every time you swing and miss at the guy, his approval rating goes up. Look for other ways to get attention.”

In the end, the House voted 232-147 to table Green’s impeachment resolution, with 18 Democrats voting to table it and another 47 members — 46 of them Democrats — voting “present.” Among them were New Hampshire Reps. Pappas and Maggie Goodlander. Neither had released a statement about their votes as of late Tuesday night.

Republicans, however, quickly called out the Democrats for refusing to take a stand.

“Both Maggie Goodlander and Chris Pappas took the coward’s way out and voted ‘present’ on the motion to table a resolution to impeach, rather than condemn their fellow Democrats’ weird obsession with impeaching the president,” the Republican National Committee said in a statement. “While Republicans cut taxes, secure the border and keep communities safe, Democrats are distracted with the relentless campaign to impeach, distract, and destroy what Republicans have delivered.”

John Sununu and his campaign have frequently called out Pappas for voting “present” on important issues, such as an attempt to block billions in military aid to Israel. In July, Pappas voted “present” on the so-called Massie amendment, while Goodlander voted to block the aid.

“Pappas is proving he’s the typical Washington politician, incapable of standing up for anything, much less for New Hampshire,” Sununu said at the time. “Voting ‘present’ is the ultimate Washington waffle. The attempt to have it both ways epitomizes his weakness …”

In March, Pappas also voted “present” on a resolution supporting the Department of Homeland Security, a measure supported by just nine House Democrats amid debate over the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

And in December, Pappas voted “present” on another impeachment resolution proposed by Green.

The vote came the same day the nonpartisan Cook Political Report revised its rating of the New Hampshire U.S. Senate race from “leans Democratic” to “toss-up.”

Political commentator Chris Cillizza posted on social media, “I have been hearing whispers for the last few weeks that Democratic nominee Chris Pappas was less than advertised. This move (by Cook Political) reflects that sentiment.”

This story was originally published by the NH Journal, an online news publication dedicated to providing fair, unbiased reporting on, and analysis of, political news of interest to New Hampshire. For more stories from the NH Journal, visit NHJournal.com.