Three Ohio Republican lawmakers are moving ahead with a bid to impeach the state’s GOP governor regarding how he’s handled the coronavirus pandemic.
Reps. John Becker, Nino Vitale, and Paul Zeltwanger drafted 10 articles of impeachment against Gov. Mike DeWine, which include accusations of “unconstitutionally” closing down businesses and violating civil liberties and due process by implementing “stay-at-home” orders.
The trio also accuse the governor of violating the First Amendment by issuing a mask mandate and violating the Constitution by temporarily banning liquor sales to non-Ohio residents. In addition, they accuse DeWine of “conspiring” with Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose to cancel the state’s primary election in March and attempting to reschedule it for June.
The majority of the House would need to approve the resolution for DeWine to be removed from office, which is an unlikely feat, according to Cleveland.com. Two-thirds of the Ohio Senate would then have to vote to convict him.
DeWine’s spokesman Dan Tierney said the governor is unconcerned about the articles of impeachment.
“Gov. DeWine is focused on saving lives during the pandemic,” Tierney said. “He’s focused on the economy and getting Ohioans back to work. That’s what he’s focused on — not this.”
Ohio House Speaker Bob Cupp, a Republican, said he didn’t believe impeachment was the right path forward, calling it an “imprudent attempt” to escalate disagreement with the governor to “a state constitutional crisis,” according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.
“Even serious policy disagreements do not rise to the level of impeachment under our constitution,” Cupp said.
DeWine received conflicting COVID-19 test results earlier this month. First, he tested positive, forcing him to miss President Trump’s visit to Cleveland, and then found out it was a false positive.
