Democrat-turned-GOP Congressman Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey scolded President-elect Joe Biden for continuing talks of a second President Donald Trump impeachment, instead blaming the "divisive" move on "very pro-left" Democrats.
Van Drew appeared to backtrack on his own calls for less division and punitive political moves during his appearance on Fox News' Sunday Morning Futures—telling host Maria Bartiromo it's "unbelievable" that House Democrats may impeach Trump for a second time. The representative scoffed that Trump will be out of office by the time House Speaker Nancy Pelosi could follow through on impeachment threats in response to last week's deadly Capitol Hill riot at Trump's behest.
"I'm calling on the president-elect, Joe Biden, to say 'enough,' let's try to come together. But this is going to be difficult because the philosophy of the new Democrats is very, very pro-left and very progressive," said Van Drew, who switched parties in December 2019 after expressing "undying support" for Trump. Just weeks earlier, Van Drew proclaimed to voters he would "never" support the president's agenda. At no point in Sunday's interview did Van Drew even touch on Trump's culpability in inciting the D.C. riot or widening political divides.
Despite blaming "very progressive" Democrats for supporting a "divisive" impeachment process, Van Drew said there are still some ways for the two parties to come together under the incoming Biden administration. But he went on to rail against election voter fraud as his number one concern moving forward.
"There are some things in some areas that I know we can work together," he explained. "The way to do that is not to call for another impeachment—the waste of money, the waste of time, the division that it will cause in the United States of America. Tens of millions of people still did vote and still do support President Donald Trump."
The largest newspaper in Van Drew's home state, the Star-Ledger, published an op-ed Sunday demanding he "be shamed for supporting this week's insurgency at the Capitol." Van Drew was one of 147 other GOP members of Congress who sought to obstruct Wednesday's Electoral College vote count in order to overturn the results in Trump's favor.
"With this cynical move, Van Drew continues his unique pattern of subverting the will of the people," the Star-Ledger piece continued. "In 2018, [he] not only switched parties but pledged a public oath to serve President Trump over his own constituents."
Responding to criticism over his support of blocking the Electoral College vote, Van Drew told Fox News on Sunday that "my purpose wasn't to overturn an election. My purpose was to find out why we didn't need signature verification anymore, why we didn't need state legislatures [voting on changes.]"
The Sunday interview alongside Georgia's Vernon Jones, who also switched political parties, included Van Drew offering an explanation for why he left the Democrats in favor of Trump's Republican Party. He said Democrats simply don't believe America is the best country in the world.
"We're not the best country in the world, we aren't the leaders of the world, we can't really help our people that much. I really wondered what the party represented," Van Drew said, relaying his remarks from last year's GOP convention. "Be true to yourself, not to a party that once was and is no more. and that's the Democratic Party," Van Drew concluded.
Newsweek reached out to Van Drew's New Jersey office for additional remarks Sunday afternoon.
