First Congressional District Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley) is one of eight Republican congressman named by President Trump to his impeachment defense team.
The White House made the announcement yesterday that eight members of the House of Representatives “will serve as part of his team working to combat this hyper-partisan and baseless impeachment.”
Also named to the defense team were representatives Doug Collins of Georgia, Mike Johnson of Louisiana, Jim Jordan of Ohio, Debbie Lesko of Arizona, Mark Meadows of North Carolina, John Ratcliffe of Texas and Elise Stefanik of New York. All have been loyal and outspoken allies of President Trump.
“Throughout this process, these members of Congress have provided guidance to the White House team, which was prohibited from participating in the proceedings concocted by Democrats in the House of Representatives,” the White House statement said. “The president looks forward to their continued participation and is confident that the members will help expeditiously end this brazen political vendetta on behalf of the American people.”
Zeldin has been a frequent defender of the president on cable television programs in recent months and has used social media to defend Trump and attack Democrats throughout the impeachment process.
Honored to be asked to serve on @realDonaldTrump's Impeachment Team, along with my House colleagues @RepDougCollins @RepMikeJohnson @Jim_Jordan @RepDLesko @RepMarkMeadows @RepRatcliffe @RepStefanik.
The President NEVER should have been impeached in the first place!— Lee Zeldin (@RepLeeZeldin) January 21, 2020
“I feel strongly that the President never should have been impeached in the first place,” Zeldin said in a statement this afternoon.
“Instead of ripping our country in half with this impeachment push, the energy spent these past few months on this circus should have been dedicated towards finding common ground on reducing the cost of prescription drug prices, repairing our nation’s infrastructure, helping grow our economy, and fighting for our veterans, first responders and law enforcement,” he said.
“The past several months have been filled with wasted opportunities where more progress could have been achieved on behalf of the American public. Unfortunately, the House of Representatives has been hijacked by people obsessed with opposing, resisting, impeaching and obstructing everything and anything,” Zeldin said.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to include a statement from Rep. Lee Zeldin submitted after publication.
The survival of local journalism depends on your support.
We are a small family-owned operation. You rely on us to stay informed, and we depend on you to make our work possible. Just a few dollars can help us continue to bring this important service to our community.
Support RiverheadLOCAL today.
