By ANDREW WELSH-HUGGINS Associated Press, and staff
COLUMBUS — A conservative GOP House lawmaker says fellow Republican Gov. Mike DeWine should be impeached over his handling of the state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Rep. John Becker (R-Cincinnati) said in a release Monday that he has drafted 10 articles of impeachment against the first-term governor.
Becker accuses DeWine of improperly shutting down the March presidential primary, arbitrarily ordering some businesses closed while allowing others to remain open, and instituting an unpopular statewide mask mandate.
DeWine spokesman Dan Tierney says the governor is focused on saving lives and getting Ohioans back to work.
The leading Democrat in the Ohio House said “dysfunction” among Republicans had reached “a new low.”
“Instead of working to rebuild the public’s trust or calling the House back from summer recess to address the very real public health and economic crises Ohio currently faces by focusing on protecting small businesses and slowing the spread of COVID-19, Republicans continue to fight one another over political power, ” Emilia Strong Sykes (D-Akron) said.
-0-
The state reported 849 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 in Monday, for a total of 115,651 with 3,986 deaths. There were 16,111 active cases, an increase of 12 cases over Sunday’s total.