IL-06: Congressman Sean Casten’s Impeachment Town Hall in Downers Grove

On Wednesday, September 4, Congressman Sean Casten held a town hall meeting with the headlining topic of the impeachment inquiry of President Trump and why he chose on June 20 to support a formal impeachment inquiry. The events of yesterday, September 24 and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s announcement to begin the formal impeachment inquiry was promulgated by the recent whistleblower complaint concerning a late July telephone conversation between President Trump and the president of Ukraine.

The new Ukrainian whistleblower issue was not in the picture back on September 4 and will not be covered in this article. McHenry County Blog will cover the actions of Casten and Congresswoman Lauren Underwood moving forward as the impeachment inquiry progresses over the next 6 to 9 months.

Sean Casten

On September 4, Casten released the following statement:

“I’m holding a town hall tonight to discuss an impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump. I am committed to being accessible to my constituents, and giving them a forum to discuss their most pressing issues and questions. Along with my regular town halls, I’ve held specific town halls on climate change and I am thrilled to continue these forums to listen and serve IL-06.”

Statement from Congressman Casten 9/4/19

On September 4 , Crain’s Chicago Business quoted Democratic Party operatives as being confused and dumbfounded for why Casten, who will face a tough reelection fight next year in IL-06 (including all of Algonquin Township) why he would do something like this.

“This is just stupid. Why not focus on, say, gun control or the environment?”

Top Democratic strategist who has worked in the district but asked not to be named.
Crain’s Chicago Business, 9/4/19

Both Republican candidates, Jeanne Ives and Evelyn Sanguinetti, made a point that echoed the above quote in their respective Facebook posts in early September:

Facebook posts combined by McHenry County Blog

In his opening remarks of about 25 minutes, Casten said the following:

“If in your head you’re thinking that an impeachment of the president of the United States or full exoneration of the president of the United States is a cause for celebration, mentally check out for a minute and come back when that thought is out of your head. This is not a cause for celebration; it’s a moment of truth.”

Congressman Sean Casten 9/4/19

Paraphrasing his opening, Casten said that while he did not campaign on impeachment, he determined supporting an inquiry was important.

In order to impeach, he said that in his view, politics, party alignment and character could not be weighed. He announced his support of an inquiry June 20 because of his reading of the redacted Mueller report, administration officials ignoring congressional subpoenas preventing him to receive the full facts.

He reminded the town hall audience the Mueller Report, from Casten’s point of view, did not exonerate or prove guilt on the charges of conspiracy and obstruction of justice. He believes there is enough evidence to proceed with investigations as part of an impeachment inquiry.

Facts as Casten sees them:

  • Knows Russia hacked into American elections in 2016
  • Russia’s agenda is to bring the United States down to their level
  • Russians reached out to the Trump organization
  • Does not know prosecutorial act of obstruction
  • Does not know prosecutorial corrupt intent
  • Constraints of special counsel statute
  • No one is above the law
  • There is no conviction of guilt
  • Special prosecutor wants Congress to investigate

Selected Q&A:

  1. Being a leader to push the impeachment inquiry to go further, what is the standard to impeach? If it is partisan to protect the institution of Congress, we need to defend the institution. Casten deeply respects colleagues to stay focused.
  2. NBC/The Wall Street Journal just did a poll and found 21% support impeachment inquiry, why are 79% not in favor? Polls really don’t matter. Casten and Congress have an obligation no matter what the polls say.
  3. How do you frame the requirement that impeachment inquiry not political? If the people take the decision seriously, it will not be a political decision. To simply ask the question that Russian interference is not the problem. Casten does not know how to make it nonpartisan. Whatever the political fallout of doing the right thing, will find out in due time.
  4. Effect of impeachment on the presidential election? There is a risk in the process; this has to be apolitical. If Congress does nothing in this moment and has all this evidence then doing nothing is potentially worse. Those consequences will also be bad
  5. Why now when the people are trying to win an election go to impeachment inquiry? Casten made the decision for impeachment inquiry and see if the majority of the House sees where they are.
  6. What is the date for an entire impeachment inquiry? Answer is how long will it take to do a thorough job. This cannot be political.
  7. Is it a possible to be a strategic move on Speaker Pelosi’s part, and put it into effect for the next 4 or 5 months? Cannot play the calendar for political purposes.
  8. Insuring the security of elections? H.R. 1 would protect elections but Senate Majority Leader McConnell will not bring it up for a vote (This bill passed the House on a straight-line partisan vote). Look at what exactly the Russians did in 2016.
  9. If impeachment proceedings are implemented, how does the current investigations help bring out the facts? How does it change the time schedules? The formal inquiry will accelerate the process. Acceleration concerns the Congressman, due to possible harm with existing court process.
  10. What are your thoughts on a number of Republican congressman, could they be signal of change among the Republicans? Falls back into how odd Congress is, similar to statements to Northwest Herald editorial board around the same time.
  11. What is the next step for Casten? He wanted to inform the constituents.
  12. What is Casten’s commitment to constituents to tell the next generation and reassure them the future of this children is going to be fine for them? Majority of public officials are dedicated to public service.

The video from Casten’s congressional Facebook page is embedded below and the entire town hall at the Downers Grove village hall is a little over an hour and a half. After clicking the video, you may need to click the sound/speaker icon embedded in the video.

Watch live: I’m holding a town hall on why I called for an impeachment inquiry into the President of the United States. I will also address issues most important to #IL06.

Posted by Congressman Sean Casten on Wednesday, September 4, 2019

Comments

IL-06: Congressman Sean Casten’s Impeachment Town Hall in Downers Grove — 9 Comments

  1. Casten is the guy on record who equated an abortion to a gall bladder operation.

  2. The bolshevik led impeachment hearing is quickly losing helium.

    I think Trump outsmarted the dems.

  3. Following the release of a transcript betwen President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky – which does not reval a ‘quid pro quo’ or other attempts to pressure Ukraine into investigating Trump’s 2020 Democratic rival Joe Biden, the Wall Street Journal’s Kimberly Strassel took to Twitter to dissect yet ‘another internal attempt to take out a president.’

  4. I would love to know has any of these house dems, done any work with our tax dollars since Trump Won the election that they just can’t accept as sore losers!

    its like they go to the office each day to waste our tax dollars thinking of ways to screw Trump!

    its just sickening anymore… and I for one am sick of paying for non productive workers aren’t you!?

  5. Jeanne Ives will wipe the floor with this walking vessel of corruption.

    That is, if voters manage to see through Sanguinetti’s false attacks and outright lies against Jeanne. The same ones that Bruce Rauner used against Ives.

    Evelyn Sanguinetti = (Rauner RINO + Failed Lt. Governor)

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