Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., told Newsmax on Friday that Republican colleagues that are on the fence about the impeachment inquiry of President Joe Biden, such as Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., need to vote for what's right and in the best interest of the nation — not for what's in their best interest in the next election.
Lawler released a statement Tuesday saying that thus far "the House has not met the high bar of impeachment."
"I don't try to convince anybody of anything," Rosendale said of impeachment during an appearance on "Wake Up America." "It's up to his constituents to convince him to vote for what is right. This is the problem when people come up here, and they start looking at the next election instead of how this is going to impact the next generation.
"You need to look at each and every one of these votes, how it's going to impact our nation and what you were sent up here to do," he continued. "I don't get distracted by what is going to happen in the next election. I look at each and every one of these pieces of legislation, and I would certainly recommend that every one of my colleagues do the same thing, and figure out what is constitutionally obligated for us to do and what's in the best interests of the nation."
Rosendale said that the Thursday indictment of President Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden, on three gun charges is "yet another issue that everybody has to deal with" that is distracting from Congress' real concerns.
"The main issues that Congress needs to deal with are the $7 trillion that they're trying to spend and the $5 trillion that we're going to bring in in revenue," he said. "That void is $2 trillion that leadership is right now trying to stack on top of a $33 trillion national debt.
"Hunter Biden's problems, to me … the biggest thing that we see coming out of that are the funds that he has received from these foreign nations — from China, from Kazakhstan, from Russia, from Ukraine, go figure," he continued. "And what is the trail that leads directly to the president himself? That is a much larger issue than him [Hunter] purchasing a handgun while he was still addicted to some kind of substance. It's a crime, sure that is, but the millions of dollars that they received that compromised our national security is a much larger problem."
The entire nation's national security is also compromised by the gap between the spending levels Congress is recommending and the revenue it is expected to bring in, the Montana congressman said.
When asked if he believes Biden is compromised when it comes to Ukraine, Rosendale said, "I do.
"I think Joe Biden is compromised mentally," he said. "His mental capacity is compromised and I think that from a national security standpoint, he is compromised. Anyone who has dealt with an elderly friend or parent or relative recognizes the signs. We've got the onset of dementia there."
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Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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