Congressman Kildee on Impeachment and Flint Charges
Rep. Dan Kildee and his Democratic colleagues were joined by 10 House Republicans to Impeach President Trump for the second time.
Rep. Dan Kildee at the 2019 Mackinac Policy Conference. Kildee announced Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023, that he would not seek reelection next year after the end of his sixth term.
The House of Representatives impeached President Donald Trump this week for inciting a violent mob to attack the Capitol. Ten Republicans, including Michigan Reps. Peter Meijer and Fred Upton broke with their party and joined Democrats to impeach Trump for the second time in his four-year term. Debate on the House floor showed a fractured caucus, with many Republicans defending the President while Democrats condemned Trump’s actions.
News also broke this week that former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder would be criminally charged for his role in the Flint Water Crisis. Snyder was charged with two counts of willful neglect of duty, misdemeanors that are punishable by up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.
Listen: Congressman Dan Kildee on impeachment and the Flint Water Crisis.
Guest:
Congressman Dan Kildee is a Democrat from Flint Twp. representing Michigan’s 5th District. He says that elected officials have to act to impeach Trump, not just for this moment but for the future as well. “We have to hold the president accountable and use the tool that we have for this horrible act,” says Rep. Kildee. Michigan Congressmen Peter Meijer and Fred Upton were among the small group of Republicans that joined Democrats to impeach the President. “I give them enormous credit for standing up and doing the right thing,” says Rep. Kildee on his fellow Michigan lawmakers. Moving forward Rep. Kildee says it’s important to unite the country but that reconciliation requires the truth.
On the criminal charges issued for those involved in the Flint Water Crisis, Rep. Kildee says this is a moment that Flint residents have waited too long for. He adds that justice for the people of Flint comes in various forms, and while accountability for people like former Gov. Snyder is important, justice shouldn’t stop there. Rep. Kildee says there are foundational failures that need to be addressed in Flint in order to move forward. “The underlying issue here has never been addressed… The elements of civil society are barely in place. That’s what happened here (in Flint),” says Rep. Kildee.
Web story written by Clare Brennan.
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