Report: Anti-Impeachment Dem Ditching Party
Cathy Burke
Rep. Jeff Van Drew, D-N.J. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP Images)
Saturday, 14 December 2019
Rep. Jefferson Van Drew, D-N.J., who has been openlyagainst impeachment, is ditching the Democratic Party, The Hillreported Saturday.
Van Drew is already letting his staff and fellow New Jersey delegation members know he’s switching parties, unnamed aides told The Hill.
The decision follows a meeting with President Donald Trump on Friday, The Hill noted.
Van Drew is one of two Democratic House lawmakers who voted against launching an impeachment inquiry into Trump. He’s a member of the centrist Blue Dog Coalition, The Hill reported.
Last Tuesday, the lawmaker insisted to the The Washington Posthe wasn’t changing parties, even though he vowed to vote against impeachment.
The lawmaker in 2018 won a previously GOP-held seat, and the Post reported that Van Drew's opposition to impeachment sparked a Democratic primary challenge.