• The Democratic presidential candidate said she could not in “good conscience” vote for or against the articles.

Dec. 18, 2019, 6:11 PM PST / Updated Dec. 18, 2019, 6:49 PM PST

In a surprise move, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, a Democratic candidate for president, voted “present” Wednesday on both articles of impeachment charging President Donald Trump with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

“After doing my due diligence in reviewing the 658-page impeachment report, I came to the conclusion that I could not in good conscience vote either yes or no,” Gabbard said in a statement issued minutes after she voted.

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“I am standing in the center and have decided to vote Present. I could not in good conscience vote against impeachment because I believe President Trump is guilty of wrongdoing,” she said. “I also could not in good conscience vote for impeachment because removal of a sitting President must not be the culmination of a partisan process, fueled by tribal animosities that have so gravely divided our country.”

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“I am confident that the American people will decide to deliver a resounding rebuke of President Trump’s innumerable improprieties and abuses. And they will express that judgment at the ballot box,” she said.

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Source: Dareh Gregorian, nbcnews.com/politics/trump-impeachment-inquiry/tulsi-gabbard-votes-present-trump-impeachment-articles-n1104301