A day after Rep. Francis Rooney of Florida became the first House Republican to say he would consider voting to impeach President Donald Trump, he announced his retirement.
The two-term congressman from a reliably conservative district announced on Fox News on Saturday that he has decided not to run for reelection. His spokesman subsequently confirmed the decision, reports The Washington Post.
Rooney told reporters on Friday when asked about the political consequences of potentially impeaching Trump that "I didn't take this job to keep it. . . . I took this job to do the right thing at all times."
Asked if he was worried about Trump's wrath, Rooney said he wasn't.
"What's he going to do to me? I mean, he can say bad things, but it's just what it is," Rooney said. "There's a lot of people around who are seriously concerned about being criticised by the president. Seriously. I just want to call them as I see it. I want to get the facts and do the right thing because I'll be looking at my children a lot longer than I'm looking to anybody in this building."
