The vote in the U.S. House of Representatives to impeach President Donald Trump Wednesday will be understood as a rebuke in the strongest possible terms, even if it’s unlikely the Senate will convict him, said Professor Matt Steffey with the Mississippi College School of Law.

“I don’t think we could get two-thirds of the Senate to agree to anything, given we live in an era in which if one party likes it or favors it, the other party is almost by definition against it,” he said. 

What will matter most, Steffey said, is what the American people think of the proceedings by the next election. 

“I think that what will happen is that this debate will continue through the next election cycle, that how President Trump has conducted himself with regard to matters like the Ukraine matter, like Russia, like cooperating with Congress, will be issues on the campaign trail,” Steffey said. “Depending on how the American people react in electing the president, all the members of the House and one-third of the members of the Senate, it may have lasting consequences.”

Danny Vaughn, a retired General Motors employee living in Meridian, said the proceedings were a waste of money. 

“I don’t think there’s anything there that Donald Trump did,” he said. “The Democrats have got to try to find something on Republicans and the Republicans have got to try to find something on the Democrats…instead of doing the people’s business.”

Melba Clark Payne, the former chair of the Lauderdale County Democratic Party, said she felt President Trump’s actions were unethical and an impeachment was justified. 

“I don’t think it’s right for our government to ask another government to investigate something that’s going on here,” she said. 

Even if the Senate does not validate the House’s vote, Democrats can’t sit idly by, Payne said. 

“They’ve got to let the world, the country know, that not everybody agrees that nothing wrong was done. If you just let this continue to go on, it will go on again.”

Elton Wall, a Democratic voter and retired educator in Newton County, called the impeachment process divisive.

“I hate to see us go through something like this,” Wall said. “It’s not good for the country, because it causes us to be in conflict.”

Congressional leaders react

In Washington, Mississippi’s Congressional leaders indicated they would vote along party lines following the proceedings. 

Michael Guest, a Republican who represents the Third Congressional District, which includes Lauderdale County, said he would vote against the impeachment.

“As a former prosecutor, I am confident that no court would accept these Articles of Impeachment as having met the standards set forth by our Founding Fathers,” Guest said on the House floor Wednesday,

“This impeachment sham is absurd,” tweeted Trent Kelly, a Republican who represents Mississippi’s First Congressional District. “I urge the Senate to acquit so @realDonaldTrump can continue winning on behalf of the American people.”

“I have asked Democrats in the House to stop this sham, end the charades and return to the normal work for the American people,” tweeted Republican Congressman Steven Palazzo, who represents the Fourth Congressional District. “They didn’t listen. The same way they’re not listening to the 63 million Americans who voted for President Trump.”

Democrat Bennie Thompson, who represents Mississippi’s 2nd Congressional District tweeted: “The President withheld 71 documents and blocked 12 witnesses from testifying, but we’re supposed to believe he’s innocent. Even he knows he’s not innocent.”

“House Democrats made a historic mistake today,” U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., said in a statement.  “By impeaching President Trump on a partisan basis and with little evidence, they have set a dangerous precedent.” 

“These votes have been a long time coming,” U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss. said in statement. “Democrats have wanted impeachment since the day President Trump won the election in 2016. I’ve followed the House Democrats’ partisan hearings, and I haven’t heard or read anything regarding the charges against the President that rise to the level of impeachable offenses.

“Any attempt to remove a sitting President is a very serious matter. We don’t know the framework for a Senate trial, but I am confident the President will be treated more fairly in the Senate.”

-Bill Graham contributed reporting