Democratic candidate Tulsi Gabbard criticised for not 'taking a stand' against Trump

Democratic Presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard had to face heavy criticism for voting only 'present' on both impeachment charges against United States President Donald Trump on December 18. Gabbard became the only one in the House of Representatives who did not lean on either side to support Trump or take a stand to impeach him. However, ultimately the US House voted 230 to 197 to impeach Trump of 'abuse of power' and 229 to 198 for the second charge of 'obstruction of Congress'. This made him only the third President to be impeached from the office after Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton in 1998.

Gabbard criticised

While this was a 'historic' moment for the nation, Gabbrad's move to abstain from the vote was attacked by her fellow Democrats. Reportedly, a Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortex said that 'to not take a stand' on a day which can lead to a 'great consequence' is 'quite difficult' when the Democrats 'sent her to lead' the party and run for them in the Presidential race. Former Senator Claire McCaskill even called the move 'stupid'. The executive director of Common Cause Hawaii, Sandy Ma said that Gabbard's vote was not the voice of people in her district and therefore she 'shamed herself'. 

Read - Defying Party, Gabbard Votes ‘present’ On Trump Impeachment

“In Hawaii, our constituents, the public in Hawaii, especially Representative Gabbard’s constituents, have been very vocal in saying that President Trump has violated his oath of office, has violated the rule of law and has violated the U.S. Constitution,” Ma said. 

A Democratic state senator who is also running to succeed Gabbard in the Congress, Kai Kahele reportedly called her decision to be a 'political stunt' and that it was rather disappointing and unacceptable. According to Kahele, the congressional district was left 'voiceless' yet again with Gabbard skipping the most House votes while she is campaigning for President. 

Read - Here's Why US Presidential Candidate Tulsi Gabbard Voted 'present' On Trump Impeachment

Presidential candidate defends herself

Taking to Twitter, Gabbard's campaign put out a two-page explanation as to why the Democrat chose not to stick to her party line. “After doing my due diligence in reviewing the 658-page impeachment report, I came to the conclusion that I could not in good conscience vote either yes or no," the statement read. 

Gabbard was one of just a handful of Democrats who did not back impeachment. Two Democrats voted against the first article: Rep. Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey, who is considering switching parties to become a Republican, and Rep. Collin Peterson of Minnesota, whose district went overwhelmingly for Trump in 2016.

Tulsi Gabbard also said that the decision on whether President Trump shall remain in office or not must be left with the American voters come November 2020. "I am confident that the American people will decide to deliver a resounding rebuke of President Trump' innumerable improprieties and abuses. And they will express that judgment at the ballot box." 

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(With AP inputs)