Local Congressmen Break Down On Partisan Lines On Impeachment Inquiry Vote

PITTSBURGH (KDKA)-- It's not a vote to impeach -- but a procedural vote -- on how the impeachment inquiry moves forward.

"This is laying out the procedures for how we will conduct the public part of this inquiry," U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle, a Forest Hills Democrat, told KDKA political editor Jon Delano on Wednesday.

"It's basically setting down the rules, saying, for instance, the president can have his attorney present at this, that they can cross-examine the witnesses -- all the things that were permitted during the Clinton debate."

Doyle is referring to the Republican-run impeachment of President Clinton in 1998.

This vote is expected to be largely partisan.

Locally, Republicans Guy Reschenthaler of Peters, John Joyce of Altoona, and Mike Kelly of Butler have told KDKA they will vote "no."

"This is not a fair process. This is highly partisan. And if there is anything that should rile the American people it's whenever there is a double standard out there and whenever you don't have access to information that everybody else has," said Kelly.

Democrat Doyle will vote "yes," and Democrat Conor Lamb has previously indicated he supports an inquiry into impeachment.

Doyle rejects Republican complaints about process.

"The reality is that 46 Republicans have sat in on this inquiry so far, got equal time with Democrats to ask questions of the witnesses, and I'm sure as those 46 members were asking questions, just like every Democrat was, that they were going back to the White House and their leadership reporting everything that was being said in there."

But Kelly says Republicans cannot call their own witnesses unless the Democratic chair agrees and that's not fair.

"This is so one-sided, upside down."