Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard says impeachment will only ’embolden’ Trump

Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard says impeachment will only ’embolden’ Trump and help him win a second term

  • Rep Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) voted ‘present’ on the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump
  • She said that she did so because impeachment proceedings will ’embolden’ him and help him win a second term
  • Gabbard says believes the vote and a Trump reelection will leave ‘lasting damage’ on the country 
  • Trump praised Gabbard for her impeachment vote and said that he gained ‘respect’ for her

Hawaii Rep Tulsi Gabbard says she believes impeachment will only ’embolden’ President Donald Trump and increase the chances of him being reelected.

Gabbard, a 2020 Democratic candidate for president, voted ‘present’ on articles of impeachment against Trump on Wednesday, December 18.

She told ABC News that she has ‘serious concern’ that the president will be acquitted by the Republican-controlled Senate, and that he will win a second term.

Gabbard said she fears that impeachment proceedings will have ‘lasting damage’ on the country.

Rep Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) said she believes impeachment proceedings will only help ’embolden’ President Donald Trump and help him be reelected. Pictured: Gabbard speaks to Democrats gathered at the Spratt Issues Conference in Greenville, South Carolina, December 2019

Trump praised Gabbard for her impeachment vote and said that he gained 'respect' for her. Pictured: Trump at the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit in West Palm Beach, Florida, in December 2019

Trump praised Gabbard for her impeachment vote and said that he gained ‘respect’ for her. Pictured: Trump at the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit in West Palm Beach, Florida, in December 2019

‘I think impeachment, unfortunately, will only further embolden Donald Trump,’ Gabbard told ABC News on Saturday.

‘Increase his support and the likelihood that he’ll have a better shot at getting elected while also seeing the likelihood that the House will lose a lot of seats to Republicans.’  

The 38-year-old was the only Democrat in the House of Representatives to vote ‘present’ on both articles of impeachment.

Three Democrats, Reps Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey, Jared Golden of Maine and Collin Peterson of Minnesota, broke with party lines and voted ‘no’ on one or oth articles.

She was criticized by Democrats for failing to take a stand, but praised by Trump during a Turning Point USA conference in Florida.

‘She didn’t vote the other day. I give her a lot of respect, because she knew it was wrong,’ he said.   

After the vote, Gabbard blasted the impeachment inquiry and proceedings as a ‘partisan endeavor’ and said both Democrats and Republicans had a ‘zero sum mindset’.

‘I am standing in the center and have decided to vote present, because I could not in good conscience vote against impeachment because I believe President Trump is guilty of wrongdoing,’ she said. 

Gabbard voted 'present' on the articles of impeachment against Trump. Pictured; Gabbard speaks during the fifth 2020 campaign debate at the Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, November 2019

The vote garnered criticism that was trying not to alienate any of her potential voters in the 2020 Democratic primaries. Pictured: Gabbard gestures following an NBA basketball game between the Boston Celtics and the Toronto Raptors in Boston, December 2019

Gabbard (left and right) voted ‘present’ on the articles of impeachment against Trump. The vote garnered criticism that was trying not to alienate any of her potential voters in the 2020 Democratic primaries

Before the House vote to impeach, Gabbard introduced a resolution to censure Trump. Pictured: Trump, left, and First Lady Melania Trump arrive for a Christmas Eve dinner with his family at Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida

Before the House vote to impeach, Gabbard introduced a resolution to censure Trump. Pictured: Trump, left, and First Lady Melania Trump arrive for a Christmas Eve dinner with his family at Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida

Before the House vote to impeach, Gabbard introduced a resolution to censure Trump, ABC News reported.

This led many to assume that she was trying not to alienate any of her potential voters in the 2020 Democratic primaries. 

Gabbard, who is not seeking re-election for her seat in Hawaii, said that voting ‘present’ was ‘not a decision of neutrality.’

‘[I am] standing up for the people of this country and our ability to move forward together,’ she told ABC News.

‘Thinking about what’s politically advantageous, whether for me or for my party, does not enter into my mind around these decisions that have really great consequence.’

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk