Former Vice President Joe Biden repeatedly told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos Friday that the impeachment of President Donald Trump is “not a partisan impeachment.”
Stephanopoulos first pointed to Biden’s own prior comments during the 1998 impeachment of former President Bill Clinton, when he said a a “partisan” impeachment was “wrong.”
“If a partisan impeachment was wrong in 1974, wrong in 1998, why isn’t it wrong now?” Stephanopoulos asked. (RELATED: New 2020 Primary Poll Shows Biden Keep Double-Digit Lead, Bloomberg Surge Into Third)
“Because it’s not a partisan impeachment,” Biden answered. “He violated the Constitution. Period.”
Stephanopoulos pointed out that only Democrats and former Republican-turned-Independent Michigan Congressman Justin Amash voted to impeach Trump in the House.
“Well, that doesn’t mean that the facts — the underlying facts, George, whether the Constitution has been violated. That that’s the issue,” the Democratic primary frontrunner responded. “Even if it’s a party line vote, it just goes — reflects on those who know, in fact, in their heart and their head that, in fact, it’s a violation of the Constitution to do what he did and, in fact, vote no.”
“That party line vote, but that doesn’t make it right, and a party line vote based upon something that doesn’t relate to a constitutional violation is a different thing.”