The first Republican in Congress to just a day ago dare to say he would consider voting to impeach Donald Trump announced Saturday that he will not seek reelection. The two-term Francis Rooney previously was an ambassador to the Vatican and CEO of the privately held investment firm of Rooney Holdings, which has interests across a broad range of business, including real estate development and energy. He represents the heavily Republican 19th congressional district on the southwest coast of Florida, encompassing Fort Myers and Naples.
Rooney has been a strong supporter of Trump on many issues, including the border wall and attacks on the Mueller Report as being politically motivated. But he sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, which is deeply involved in the impeachment inquiry. And now Rooney says he doesn’t know whether Trump committed a crime for which he should be impeached and removed from office, but he wants to see where the investigation goes. On Friday he made clear that he knew his criticism of Trump might end his congressional career. Today he made that matter moot by ending it himself. At The Washington Post, Colby Itkowitz and Mike DeBonis report:
[Rooney]’s been actively involved in Republican politics, giving millions to candidates and their super PACs. He was a big supporter of the Bush family, serving as ambassador to the Holy See in Rome under President George W. Bush and giving $2 million to Jeb Bush’s super PAC to support the former Florida governor’s failed presidential bid.
“I didn’t take this job to keep it. . . . I took this job to do the right thing at all times,” he said Friday. “And if that means I got to go find, go back to my other job, that’s okay, too. I like building buildings and drilling oil wells.”
This makes the 14th Republican representative to announce he would retire after this term, with four others having announced they would leave the House to seek other public office. Only four House Democrats have announced they will retire after next year, with two others leaving to seek higher office.