Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, Subcommittee on Transportation Security, John Katko grills a panel of witnesses including U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Field Operations Executive Assistant Commissioner John Wagner on the potential security risks involved in the resumption of commercial aviation to and from Cuba. (CBP Photo by Glenn Fawcett) May 17, 2016.
Another Trump-impeaching GOP congressman, Re. John Katko of NY has decided to call it quits. In a statement on Friday, Katko announced that he’s leaving office to spend more time with his family. The Wall Street Journal reports:
Rep. John Katko, a moderate Republican who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump following the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol, said he wouldn’t seek another term in office.
The former federal prosecutor, who has served in Congress since 2015, cited a desire to spend more time with his family in announcing his retirement.
“After 32 years of public service, I have decided not to seek re-election to Congress, so that I can enjoy my family and life in a fuller and more present way,” said Mr. Katko, 59 years old, who represents a central New York district that includes Syracuse.
Mr. Katko pointed to the passage of last year’s bipartisan infrastructure package as one of the highlights of his career, along with tax cuts and work on mental health and addressing drug addiction.
He was one of 10 House Republicans who joined with Democrats to vote to impeach Mr. Trump last January on the charge of inciting an insurrection, when a pro-Trump mob stormed Congress in a failed attempt to stop the ratification of President Biden’s Electoral College win. The Senate acquitted Mr. Trump in February.
Of those 10 Republicans, three have now said they will leave Congress. In recent months, Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois and Rep. Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio said they wouldn’t seek another term.
“Great news, another one bites the dust,” said Mr. Trump in a statement Friday. “Katko, from Upstate New York, is gone!”
In a speech last year at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Mr. Trump called out all 10 by name and told his supporters to “get rid of them all” in the midterms.
Three Republicans had already declared their intention to challenge Mr. Katko in a primary, according to Federal Election Commission filings. Additionally, the contours of Mr. Katko’s district are expected to change as New York loses a seat in its House delegation for the coming elections.
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