Michigan Republican Congressman Peter Meijer was one of only nine freshman Republican lawmakers who voted in favor of the November 3 election results. He told CNBC’s “The News with Shepard Smith” that his life may now be at risk because of this.
“We realized that it was a vote we cast that put our security at risk and, in the future, I hope that there is likely to be more political violence,” said Meijer. “So my expectation and the expectation of some people I’m talking to who are trying to vote our conscience on this, there will be people who will try to kill us, and this is something that we have to fight with every day.”
Meijer added that, in turn, this threat of violence has compelled and will continue to intimidate some of his Republican colleagues to vote alongside the Trump administration. In an opinion piece, Meijer wrote that a fellow legislator was only opposed to President-elect Joe Biden’s victory because he feared that President Trump’s supporters would come after his family.
“That was what weighed on the colleague’s conscience, and the last thing that individual said to me, concern for the safety of that individual’s family, if he voted to certify the election,” said Meijer. “That’s where rhetoric brought us. This is the degree of fear that was created.”
The House of Representatives is now on the verge of impeaching Trump for the second time without precedent. House Democrats presented an impeachment article, accusing Trump of inciting the insurrectional crowd that invaded the Capitol last week. It left five people dead, including a police officer.
The article accuses Trump of “demonstrating that he will remain a threat to national security, democracy and the constitution if he is allowed to remain in office.” The impeachment vote is scheduled for Wednesday. Meijer said he is “strongly considering” voting for Trump’s impeachment.
“I have had colleagues who are contesting and raising questions about the timing, raising questions about the process, raising questions about the reception,” explained Meijer to host Shepard Smith. “I have not heard anyone raise concerns about merit and I believe that the president’s actions last Wednesday are disqualifying him and making him unfit for the job.”
Sources said minority leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) told House Republicans on a conference call that President Trump has some responsibility for the deadly uprising. Meijer said that the future of the GOP is at stake. He added that the Republican Party must admit the lie that November 3 was an overwhelming victory for Trump, and that many Republican voters have been deceived by those in power.
“Instead of telling the people of America and their supporters what they need to hear, many politicians are saying what they want to hear,” said Meijer. “This kind of reactive leadership will not make the Republican Party a reliable party to govern this country again, and we need to fix that.”