New GOP Rep. Jeff Van Drew: Democrats Told Me to ‘Obey’ and Vote for Impeachment

Newly minted Republican Congressman Jeff Van Drew has suggested he wouldn’t have joined the GOP if not for the impeachment of President Donald Trump. Van Drew switched parties to much conservative fanfare recently, having opposed impeachment consistently.

Van Drew was given a warm welcome on Fox & Friends on Monday. He spoke about American exceptionalism and critcized his ‘far left’ Democratic colleagues.

“So Congressman if there was no impeachment would you still be a Democrat?” host Brian Kilmeade asked.

“I might have been,” Van Drew said. “Let me tell that story really quickly actually it’s important. So I was speaking to one of the county, I have eight counties in my district, and I was speaking to one of the county chairs and as I spoke to that chair, he said, I just want to tell you something that you absolutely are going to vote for impeachment and I said no, I’m not, I think that this is a very weak impeachment.”

“I think  it’s wasted millions of dollars, hours of time, has not been productive, has split the country apart, has caused a fractioning of the country and literally has caused civil unrest in a sense and he said well I’m telling you if you want to run in this county, you’re gonna have to vote for it, you’re gonna have to obey and the bottom line was that was the final point.”

“There were all of these other issues and I could tell you what some of the other issues were where I believed differently but I kind of went along, but that issue really, the fact that, you almost talked quid pro quo so because I’m gonna vote in a way I don’t want to vote you’re gonna force me and then allow me to run. That’s not what America is about, that’s not what our election system should be about.”

Van Drew was one of three Democrats who did not vote in favor of articles of impeachment. The other two have not felt the need to leave the party.

Watch the video above, via Fox News.