Jones Slams Lawler on Impeachment Inquiry, ‘Extreme’ Positions
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Democratic congressional hopeful Mondaire Jones came out swinging against Congressman Mike Lawler (R-Pearl River) last week accusing the incumbent of being part of one of the least productive sessions and subservient to his party’s right-wing base.
Jones, a prohibitive favorite to win his party’s nomination next year to challenge the freshman representative, had strong words for Lawler on a wide range of issues, from his support of a “sham impeachment inquiry” targeting President Joe Biden, to his silence on gun safety laws and a woman’s right to choose.
He selected the corner closest to the building where Lawler has his congressional office as the site of the Dec. 20 press conference.
“We are here outside of Mike Lawler’s office in Pearl River to make sure he hears loud and clear that his constituents aren’t going to put up with a member of Congress who continues to prioritize extreme MAGA Republican politics over the economic and other best interests of everyday people here in the lower Hudson Valley,” Jones said.
Surrounded by a group of supporters, Jones said Lawler is part of a Republican majority in the House that is failing average Americans while wasting time on politically motivated actions such as supporting the authorization to launch an impeachment inquiry against the president.
House Republicans have found “no shred of evidence implicating Joe Biden in the behavior of his son, Hunter Biden,” Jones said. “That’s why House Republicans won’t even allow Hunter Biden to testify in public. They are too afraid of being exposed to the American people.”
He charged that when Lawler voted for a Continuing Resolution in late September when Congress was frantically trying to avoid a shutdown, hundreds of millions of dollars would have been cut from local law enforcement, federal assistance for the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program, Head Start and $1 billion in aid to Israel. The resolution failed to be approved.
Furthermore, Jones slammed Lawler for voting for House Speaker Mike Johnson, who he described as “the most extreme speaker in the history of the House,” following the ouster of Kevin McCarthy.
“So what has Mike Lawler done for the residents of the Hudson Valley?” Jones asked. “The answer is simply: absolutely nothing. Instead of working for his constituents, Mike Lawler has cozied up to extreme MAGA Republicans in Congress and enabled Republicans’ chaos and dysfunction.”
Lawler, who coincidentally had a previously scheduled interview with The Examiner at his Rockland County office shortly after Jones’ press conference, dismissed many of the Democratic candidate’s charges as politically driven in a fraught environment.
While currently there’s not enough evidence to impeach the president, Lawler said the business dealings surrounding Biden and family members merits the investigation.
Lawler explained that $24 million from businesses in China, Russia, Ukraine and Romania has been transferred to at least 10 Biden relatives through 20 shell companies. Another $5 million was also transferred, and during the four years that Biden was out of office, he received a $40,000 payment, Lawler said lawmakers have learned.
“Is it enough to impeach the president today? No. Not for me,” Lawler said. “However, the White House’s refusal to turn over additional information, including their failure to comply with subpoenas, is deeply concerning and has necessitated a more formal approach to get the whole truth.”
Lawler said his vote for the Continuing Resolution was an attempt to make sure the federal government didn’t shut down and represented cuts across the board to control spending. He said any suggestion that he’s not a strong supporter of Israel makes no sense looking at his record.
“Nobody will question my support to Israel or my commitment to the safety and security of Israel,” Lawler said. “I’ve now visited twice this year, including in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks.”
“My commitment to Israel is ironclad,” he added.
Lawler and his staff also pointed to his voting record where he goes against his own party about 23 percent of the time, the fourth highest rate in Congress.
However, one of Jones’s supporters at the press conference, Susan Bloom of Nanuet, said Lawler’s words often don’t match his actions.
“You need to watch what he does, not what he says,” Bloom said.
Jones was elected in 2020 and served one term before redistricting took him out of the 17th Congressional District. He ran for a seat in New York City and lost the Democratic primary, but is looking to make a comeback.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
