Anti-impeachment Democrat Jeff Van Drew meets with Trump to discuss party switch
WASHINGTON D.C. - Rep. Jeff Van Drew, D-N.J., met with President Trump on Friday to discuss going across party lines and joining the Republican Party -- this after he has spent months criticizing fellow Democrats for their push to impeach Trump.
A source confirmed to Fox News on Saturday that Van Drew met with Trump to discuss switching parties.
Another source told Fox News that Van Drew may be seeking a Rose Garden ceremony if he were to switch. Van Drew is one of two Democrats who opposed the resolution codifying the impeachment probe. In addition, Van Drew indicated last week he would not support impeachment and thought impeachment would backfire on Democrats.
The Washington Post first reported that Trump had personally urged Van Drew to jump ship and that the lawmaker strongly considering it. The New York Times reported that he could make an announcement as soon as next week, just as the House gears up to vote on impeachment.
A spokesperson for Van Drew did not immediately return a request for comment. Two Democratic aides told Fox News that they expected Van Drew to switch parties.
While Van Drew has called President Trump’s conduct in relation to his July 25 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “unsavory,” he has repeatedly said he did not see evidence that would justify his removal from office. He was one of just two House Democrats to oppose the House’s November vote to set impeachment rules.
In an interview with Fox Business last month, he said he would vote against articles of impeachment unless he hears evidence against President Trump that "rises to the level of treason or a high crime."
He said the "Founding Fathers had vigorous debates of whether they would even allow impeachment in the Constitution," and that he favors allowing voters to decide the matter in next year's election.
"You don't disenfranchise voters, millions upon millions of voters. Voters choose their leaders in America," Van Drew had said.
The Times reported that during conversations between Van Drew and Trump advisers, where the freshman congressman said he was nervous about losing his seat either in a Democratic primary -- due to his opposition to impeachment in a liberal state -- or in a general election. A Democratic aide told Fox News that a recent poll his campaign took showed another Democrat would beat him in a primary race.
The Times reported that while Van Drew has not yet made a final decision, he was serious enough that he discussed what day to make an announcement and whether to do it before the upcoming vote on articles of impeachment.
The meeting came the same day that the House Judiciary Committee voted to adopt two articles of impeachment in a party-line vote. The article alleges abuse of power and obstruction by Trump. Should the House adopt the articles next week, it could trigger a Senate trial in the new year just as 2020 presidential primaries are about to get underway.
"Today is a solemn and sad day," Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., told reporters after the vote. "For the third time in a little over a century and a half, the House Judiciary Committee has voted articles of impeachment against the president -- for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The House will act expeditiously."