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Cobb: ‘I would have voted to convict the president’

Democratic congressional candidate Tedra Cobb, a Democrat from Canton, smiles in Saranac Lake on Jan. 30. (Enterprise photo — Aaron Cerbone)

PLATTSBURGH — New York 21st Congressional District candidate Tedra Cobb, a Democrat, now says she would have voted to convict President Donald Trump.

In a statement to the Press-Republican Tuesday, Cobb expressed her frustration with the Senate trial and “its foregone conclusion.”

“Let me be very clear; the behavior of the president is unacceptable,” she continued.

“Even now after being exposed, he’s unrepentant. If given the option to acquit or to convict, I would have voted to convict the president.

“But this process has run its course, and Congress should get back to addressing the issues facing northern New York families: the rising cost of health care and prescription drugs, protecting our environment and preserving Social Security and Medicare.”

Supported impeachment

Cobb had faced scrutiny from her opponent, incumbent North Country Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, R-Schuylerville, for not taking a stance on impeachment in the weeks leading up to the House’s vote in December.

Then, on the morning of Dec. 18, the day the House was set to vote on the articles of impeachment, abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, Cobb came out in support of impeaching Trump.

“Given the seriousness of the charges and based on the overwhelming evidence that the President used $400 million in taxpayer money for his own personal, political gain, while risking our national security, I would vote in favor of impeachment,” she announced then via Twitter.

“We must ensure that anyone who occupies the highest office in the land never abuses the powers of that office.”

“Incredibly disturbed”

The evening before the Senate voted on the articles Feb. 5, Cobb held a roundtable at the Koffee Kat in Plattsburgh.

After taking questions from attendees, she told members of the media that she did not support removing Trump from office.

Later that night, she sent a statement clarifying her position, which she began by saying she supported sending the articles to the Senate.

“However, the Senate failed to conduct a proper trial that included witnesses. While I am incredibly disturbed by the behavior of the President, I could not support removal without a fair trial.

The American people will have a chance to vote in November.”

North Country Now

Most recently, in an article posted to North Country Now’s website Saturday, Cobb appeared to reverse her stance on removal.

“I want to make it clear, that out of the options that were given to us, I would have voted to convict the president,” she told the St. Lawrence County-based outlet.

The Press-Republican reached out to Cobb’s campaign to ask if she had changed her mind between the Plattsburgh event on Feb. 4 and the North Country Now interview, how she reconciled the two statements and what she had to say to North Country voters who voted for Trump and might not have supported his impeachment and removal.

Her campaign provided the statement detailed at the beginning of this article, saying she would have voted to convict Trump.

Stefanik criticizes

Stefanik’s campaign criticized Cobb Monday regarding the North Country Now interview, saying she “flip-flopped again.”

In a statement, Stefanik said the only thing Cobb has made clear “is that she has no respect for North Country voters who overwhelmingly voted for President Trump.”

Harkening back to her previous commentary, she characterized Cobb as “the number one pro-impeachment candidate in the country.”

“My constituents know exactly where I stand on every single issue,” Stefanik said, “and that will never change.”

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