Pete Buttigieg says he’ll use ‘every moment available’ to campaign during impeachment

Pete Buttigieg says he’ll use ‘every moment available’ to campaign during impeachment even as presidential rivals prepare for jury duty – and charges Senate GOP thinks it’s ‘okay’ to seek foreign interference

  • The South Bend mayor kicked off a day of events across small Iowa towns
  • He brought up impeachment on a day the House voted for House managers
  • The trial could go for weeks and sideline top rivals in Iowa
  • He said the ‘Senate will do what the Senate will do’
  • Sens. Bernie Sanders, Amy Klobuchar, and Elizabeth Warren serve as trial jurors 
  • Trump brought up the impeachment ‘hoax’ during event on China trade 

Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg is vowing to make use of ‘every moment’ during the impeachment of President Donald Trump – a historic event that could hand him an edge by sidelining rivals in Washington.

The South Bend, Indiana mayor brought up impeachment during his stump speech at an event in Newton, Iowa – signaling skepticism of the result when he said it may be up to voters – rather than jurors – to remove Trump from office.   

‘I’ll leave it to the analysts to figure out the political impacts, he said, when asked about how the trial which begins next week would keep three Democratic senators running against him tied down in Washington.

South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg spoke to Iowa voters in Newton about impeachment, saying: ”The senate will do what the Senate will do, but there’s a pretty good indication it’s going to be up to us’

‘We’re going to use every moment available to us to continue making the case and to continue listening to voters. As we are here sharing, learning stories, sharing our priorities and building momentum to win,’ Buttigieg told a small group of reporters in a former Maytag factory. 

‘The questions at stake in impeachment are not totally different from the questions at stake here on the ground in Iowa. Some of it of course will be the substance of the trial. 

‘A lot of it is what is an acceptable standard for our president and the presidency and what do we expect of our president. I’m here to make the case for us expecting the president to focus on our everyday lives, to put the country first, he said, as members of the national media pinged him with questions minutes after the historic House vote. 

Earlier, addressing a few hundred voters, Buttigieg brought up impeachment himself, in remarks that touched on manufacturing, health care, and climate issues. 

Presidential candidate and former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg signs a supporter's baseball after a campaign town hall meeting in Newton, Iowa, U.S., January 15, 2020

Presidential candidate and former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg signs a supporter’s baseball after a campaign town hall meeting in Newton, Iowa, U.S., January 15, 2020

Buttigeig met with voters a day after a Democratic debate, and on a day when the House voted on impeachment managers

Buttigeig met with voters a day after a Democratic debate, and on a day when the House voted on impeachment managers 

Democratic presidential hopefuls billionaire-philanthropist Tom Steyer, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, Former Vice President Joe Biden, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, Mayor of South Bend, Indiana, Pete Buttigieg and Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar stand on stage ahead of the seventh Democratic primary debate of the 2020 presidential campaign season co-hosted by CNN and the Des Moines Register at the Drake University campus in Des Moines, Iowa on January 14, 2020

Democratic presidential hopefuls billionaire-philanthropist Tom Steyer, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, Former Vice President Joe Biden, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, Mayor of South Bend, Indiana, Pete Buttigieg and Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar stand on stage ahead of the seventh Democratic primary debate of the 2020 presidential campaign season co-hosted by CNN and the Des Moines Register at the Drake University campus in Des Moines, Iowa on January 14, 2020

Trump blasted impeachment as a 'hoax' Wednesday

Trump blasted impeachment as a ‘hoax’ Wednesday

‘We’re all watching the news, watching what’s going on in Washington, watching this impeachment process,’ Buttigieg said, wearing his uniform of a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up. 

‘The Senate GOP is sending this message that we ought to figure it’s a foregone conclusion. They’re already signaling they’re going to say “It’s okay to lie. It’s okay to cheat. It’s okay even to invoke foreign interference in our elections,”‘ he said. 

‘It can be exhausting to watch that. It can take our energy. And now’s our chance to refuse to let that happen. They win if we give up, but we win if we act up,’ he said.     

He wasn’t predicting victory – at least for a trial that could last weeks, with no certainty yet whether it will include witnesses or document production. 

‘The senate will do what the Senate will do, but there’s a pretty good indication it’s going to be up to us,’ he told supporters. 

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