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PARKERSBURG - A West Virginia congressman Monday warned the impeachment process is being weaponized.
Impeachment was used once in the first 200 years of the nation, then three times since the 1970s, Rep. David McKinley, R-W.Va., said.
"Both parties are wrong on this," McKinley said.
The House of Representatives is conducting an impeachment inquiry into President Trump, who according to a transcript of a phone call the White House provided asked the president of Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, over Hunter's business dealings in Ukraine. Biden is a candidate for the Democratic Party nomination for president and could be Trump's opponent in the 2020 election.
Trump later said the Chinese should also investigate the Bidens.
The question is does what the president did rise to warrant his impeachment and removal from office for the reasons intended by the Founding Fathers, treason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors, McKinley said. Another issue is the impact upon another president in the future, he said.
"We're weaponizing impeachment," McKinley said.
When Bill Clinton was impeached by the House, former Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., voted against removing him, saying there was only two years left on his term, McKinley said. In Trump's case, the 2020 election is about a year away, he said.
'This is about trying to influence politics," McKinley said.
It's also delaying and diverting work on other issues, such as surprise medical billing and miners health benefits, he said.
"What's going to get done?" McKinley said.
McKinley was in Parkersburg Monday meeting with representatives of Recovery Point Parkersburg to talk about the treatment of those with addictions, Parkersburg Police about the homeless and speaking with civics students at Parkersburg South High School where they asked about Trump's impeachment.
"They asked good questions," he said.
He also will be going to Brownsville, Texas, this week to see first-hand the situation at the border. Problems are being exacerbated by unaccompanied children coming here, he said.
"I want to see just what's going on," McKinley said.
Jess Mancini can be reached at jmancini@newsandsentinel.com.