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Michigan Senator Peters says he'll vote to convict Trump

By Jack Nissen
Published  February 4, 2020 4:12pm EST
Gary Peters
FOX 2 Detroit

LANSING, Mich. - Michigan Senator Gary Peters plans to vote to convict President Trump.

In a tweet posted Tuesday afternoon, Peters said the evidence presented during the U.S. Senate trial of Trump was enough for him to support removing the president from office.

"I have concluded that the President violated his oath of office and betrayed the public trust by putting his own personal and political interests before the people of Michigan and our country."

While a critic of the Trump Administration in regards to health care and prescription drug costs, Peters has been relatively quiet on what direction he was leaning regarding impeachment. However, Peters now says the evidence presented by the House of Representatives was not "effectively refuted" by Trump's defense team.

"The evidence presented to the Senate by the House of Representatives was compelling, and was not effectively refuted by the President's lawyers. The facts clearly showed the President abused the power of his office by illegally holding up critical military aid to extort Ukraine, a vulnerable ally at war with Russia," read a statement from the senator.

A spokesperson from the Republican National Committee said Peters' decision would doom him in the next election.

“Gary Peters sealed his fate by abandoning Michiganders and falling in line with Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi. Michiganders support President Trump and will remember this betrayal in November and tell Gary goodbye and vote to re-elect President Trump,” said Michael Joyce in a written statement.

Peters will most likely face off against John James, a Republican challenger, in the 2020 race. While Peters holds a slim lead over James in a polling survey that was released in early January, he's considered one of the Senate's more vulnerable Democrats.

As of Jan. 31, a non-partisan political report ranked Peter's seat as "Lean Democrat." 

Jack Nissen is a reporter at FOX 2 Detroit. You can contact him at (248) 552-5269 or at Jack.Nissen@Foxtv.com