Rep. Elissa Slotkin went home to Michigan's 8th District to explain her change of heart on pursuing an impeachment inquiry against President Trump. And things didn't go swimmingly.
U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin
“I have not been supportive of an impeachment inquiry up until now,” she told the crowd packed into a public library meeting room. “The issue that got to me was this idea that the president — the most powerful man in the world — reached out to a foreigner, a foreign leader, and asked him to dig up dirt on an American.”
“Not true!” a woman shouted from the back. “Fake news!” said another. “He’s your president, Slotkin!”
But Slotkin kept speaking and kept explaining how she went from a prominent critic of her pro-impeachment colleagues to a reluctant supporter of an inquiry into potentially removing President Trump: “Sometimes there are some moments in life that are beyond politics, and I felt that this moment was that.”
Her remarks were met with applause, but the message was clear: Talk of impeachment is only deepening the political divide in this country. And it will likely get even deeper before it's resolved.
Slotkin, a Democrat, was elected in a red district by campaigning on a platform of health care and pocketbook issues. But the hulking figure of Trump has blotted out Washington's sun, forcing Congress to a virtual standstill and concentrating all talk on him.
Slotkin has had to move her town halls from coffee shops to larger venues, to deal with the crowds. The pro-Trump speakers at these events challenge her with language the president himself has used -- "coup," notably.
The freshman said that even with the static of impeachment, most of her constituents are still concerned with other issues, including prescription drug prices and water quality.
