U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin says she'll vote to impeach President Donald Trump

Kathleen Gray | Detroit Free Press

Show Caption Hide Caption U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin defends decision to vote for Trump impeachment U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin held a contentious town hall meeting at Oakland University Monday she explained her decision to support the impeachment of President Donald Trump.

U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Holly, will vote this week to impeach President Donald Trump, a move she acknowledges could end her short political career.

In an opinion piece published in the Detroit Free Press Monday morning, Slotkin said her decision is based on her research of the evidence and training as a CIA officer.

"In the national security world that I come from, we are trained to make hard calls on things, even if they are unpopular, if we believe the security of the country is at stake," she wrote. "There are some decisions in life that have to be made based on what you know in your bones is right. And this is one of those times."

Slotkin, who was one of 31 Democrats to flip Republican seats to the Democratic side in congressional districts that Trump won in 2016, said she read and re-read the transcripts of the impeachment proceedings, looked at articles of impeachment that were drafted during the presidencies of Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton and referred back to the U.S. Constitution, Federalist Papers and the book of "House Practices," the guide to the rules and procedures given to every member of Congress.

Her conclusion: Trump abused the poser of his office by soliciting Ukraine to interfere in the 2020 election for his personal benefit and obstructed Congress' inquiry into that interference.

"On September 19, the President’s lawyer announced proudly on live TV that he had encouraged Ukraine to investigate the Bidens. On September 22, in response to a reporter’s question, the President affirmed it," Slotkin wrote, noting that Trump even encouraged China to investigate a political rival.

"As a former CIA officer, I believe this lies at the very heart of impeachable conduct," she wrote.

'Trump's refusal to cooperate with the inquiry and order members of his administration to ignore congressional subpoenas constitutes a historical breach of tradition and obstruction."

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Slotkin's announcement of her decision on the impeachment came just hours before she was scheduled to hold a town hall at Oakland University in Rochester, where hundreds of constituents, both supportive and opposed to the impeachment are expected to gather. Republicans have organized two protests at the venue and it's expected to be a contentious meeting.

The town hall comes just two days before the expected impeachment vote and what is almost certain to be a raucous re-election rally where Trump will return to Michigan for the first time since April 2018 for a campaign event at Kellogg Arena in Battle Creek at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

As one of two Michigan Democrats who flipped a red seat blue, Slotkin faces an especially difficult challenge. Republicans have targeted her and U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Rochester Hills, in the 2020 election. The GOP is running ads against the pair for their votes to authorize the impeachment inquiry. Meanwhile, Democratic groups have been countering the GOP message with ads touting the work the the two freshman have done on issues like health care and lowering prescription drug costs.

It won't be an easy reelection fight. Slotkin's narrow victory over incumbent U.S. Rep. Mike Bishop, R-Rochester — by a 51-47% margin — was the first time a Democrat held the seat since 2000.

The district, comprised of northern Oakland County and Ingham and Livingston counties, backed Trump by a 50.6% to 43.9% margin over Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Contact Kathleen Gray: 313-223-4430, kgray99@freepress.com or on Twitter @michpoligal.