Swalwell Could Play A Key Role In The Next Step Of Impeachment

TRI-VALLEY, CA — U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell voted along party lines Wednesday evening to impeach President Donald Trump on two articles of impeachment: abuse of power and obstructing Congress. Political observers say he's one of a handful of Democrats who could play a major role in the next round of impeachment proceedings.

Swalwell is a former Alameda County prosecutor who has served his East Bay district since 2013. Swalwell, an ex-2020 presidential candidate, sits on the House Intelligence and Judiciary Committees, which have played critical roles in the impeachment inquiry.

He had a line of questioning during the impeachment proceedings that went viral in political circles. As NBC put it, he used his five minutes of witness questioning to sum up the impeachment case.

Read more: A Nation Divided: House Impeaches President Donald J. Trump

Since the Democrat-controlled House voted 230-197 on abuse and 229-198 on obstruction, the proceedings will advance to the next stage. The House will soon appoint "managers" to question witnesses, present evidence and lay out arguments during the trial in the Senate — and Swalwell is considered a top contender for this role, Roll Call reported.

House managers would make their case, but it's considered very unlikely that the Republican-controlled Senate will vote to remove the 45th president from office for "high crimes and misdemeanors." No Republicans in the House voted to impeach him.

In a statement Wednesday night, Swalwell said he came to Congress to work on issues that matter to residents of the 15th District, such as cost of living, stopping gun violence and lessening student loan debt. But he said he could not "watch a president ignore our laws and Constitution" and put his own gain above the country's interests, "using taxpayer dollars and foreign interference to cheat the next election." Trump is "on a constitutional crime spree," he said.

Swalwell said he voted to impeach Trump in the interest of national security, election integrity and for "our Constitution's sanctity." America's founders didn't leave people helpless to "an abusive president," he said.

Trump is now the third president in U.S. history to become impeached. Democrats allege he abused his office by attempting to withhold foreign aid in exchange for an investigation into political rival and former Vice President Joe Biden, and obstructed Congress by trying to cover up his actions.