Rep. Mace explains her impeachment stance

It’s been a heck of a first two weeks in Congress. On January 3, my children and I flew up to Washington for my swearing in as your new Congresswoman. This was one of my proudest moments in life.

I said when I was running for office I would not be beholden to any party or person if you sent me to Congress. I would follow the Constitution, my principles, and my conscience.

I told the voters of the First District that you may not always agree with me, but that I’d always be forthcoming and honest with you on why I take a position or vote a certain way. 

I started my term with some of the most consequential votes and events of my lifetime. I’ve never seen anything like it. 

But I can tell you I did exactly what I told you I would do if you sent me to Washington — be an independent voice for you.

I called out those on my side who incited the events we all saw, while many Republicans simply pointed fingers at the riots millions of Americans suffered through this summer.

I’ve been consistent. I called out the violence of BLM and Antifa this summer, and I called it out from supporters of the President last week in Congress. 

We have no moral authority if we don’t speak the truth. 

The question then turned to — what do we do? Do we engage in a partisan political exercise of impeachment, and further divide the country and inflame tensions?

My answer to that was no.

After everything we’ve seen, the urge to blame others and seek revenge is powerful. But all that will do is perpetuate this vicious cycle of violence and division. We need to hold our leaders accountable for their actions without creating new divisions that will only lead to more violence. A rushed and ultimately hopeless impeachment of President Trump doesn’t meet the challenge.

Impeaching the President without hearings or investigations taints the process as purely political. Americans haven’t had a chance to have their voices heard or to hear the arguments for themselves, so any facts which come from it will be dismissed as “fake news,” whether they are or not. 

Overlooking Constitutional “due process” not only makes any conviction illegitimate in the eyes of many, it turns impeachment into a political weapon. Now, President-elect Biden was threatened with impeachment before he was even been sworn in. 

That’s not accountability, that’s political retribution.

Finally, because of this partisan exercise, the U.S. Senate will be talking about President Trump long after he’s gone, when what we need most is closure and action on the issues our nation faces today. 

The Senate can’t do ANYTHING else during an impeachment trial, meaning the first few weeks of the new Congress and new White House Administration will be spent on only this — rather than new targeted COVID relief, and other priorities. 

The only way to stop this cycle of division is if we take a thorough look at how we got here using facts and reason, not threats and vengeance. Most importantly, our leaders must understand they can’t use toxic rhetoric which raises the stakes of every political disagreement to apocalyptic levels without consequences. 

We must get back to the people’s business.

To the people of the Lowcountry, this means I will work to ensure you keep your hard-earned money, veterans get the support they deserve, I will work to ensure Parris Island continues to train great Marines, and that you, not the government, are empowered to pursue your happiness. 

There’s a lot to be done here in South Carolina and in Washington. I’m going to be part of the solution to our problems, and I’m going to try my best to help break the cycle of partisan animosity in DC. That’s who I am, that’s who you elected, and that’s who I will be.