President Trump lauded Rep. Tulsi Gabbard for voting “present” on the two articles of impeachment approved last week in the Democratic-controlled House.
“I give her respect. She didn’t vote the other day. I give her a lot of respect. Because she knew it was wrong. She took a pass,” Trump said during a speech Saturday to the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Gabbard, a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, said she voted against impeachment because it did not have bipartisan support.
“Trump is guilty of wrongdoing,” the Hawaii Democrat said in a statement after the vote. “I also could not in good conscience vote for impeachment because removal of a sitting President must not be the culmination of a partisan process, fueled by tribal animosities that have so gravely divided our country.”
