Also, Peter is listed among the ultrawealthy politicians in the US history of politics. And then that led to a delay in the international response. If theyre willing to come after you inside the U.S. Capitol, what will they do when youre at home with your kids?, Meijer glanced down at his phone. Peter Meijer and Gabriella Zacarias are still yet to have children. But putting this scenario in perspective, he said, if you were to poll the public, cybersecurity wouldnt even register in the top 50 issues.. He has shared pictures of his family, his wife, his time in Iraq as the US Army, and his election campaign. While grieving his sisters obsession with conspiracy theories, he has to work alongside the very people, like fellow freshman Marjorie Taylor Greene, who are pushing those lies. Read: The Michigan Republican who decided to tell the truth about election fraud. Michigans Peter Meijer torches Trump, Democratic cynicism and wont rule out another run. So they do nothing, convincing themselves that the problem will take care of itself, while guaranteeing that it will only get worse. Geni requires JavaScript! Wren: You said your departure from Washington and Congress is bittersweet. I take that to mean there is part of you that is happy to be leaving here. Paul Gosar wasnt shot on January 6Ashli Babbitt was.. Cecelia Chintoh is the name I respond to. The interview has been edited for length and clarity. I have found interest in writing articles like entertainment news, sports, Wikipedia, biography, obituary, News, lifestyle and many more around the world. Peter's father, brother, and grandfather are the company's backbone. The district, once represented by then President Gerald Ford is based in Grand Rapids. There were other freshmen who talked a big game, but the pressure got to them. Further, Peter is also one of the congressmen who signed for the impeachment of Donald Trump after the Capitol Riot. I can convince myself not to vote for impeachment, Gonzalez said. Convinced that Trumpism was a distraction from the countrys most pressing problems, Meijer ran a campaign that reflected a certain strategic detachment. It was the most bipartisan, most thoroughly fleshed-out approach, including bicameral conversations and conversations with the White House. It was the worst 96 hours of my life, he says. So I think both parties are doing what they can to narrow the size of their tent, in some cases, to their political detriment in the short term. But his brain dissented. Meijer silenced his phone and cast his vote to certify the election. As a Sergeant, he led the mission and soldiers, which resulted in the detention for killing American soldiers. What that faction is banking on is exhaustion, Meijer said. Soon after, Haley, a singer and songwriter based in Los Angeles, began commenting favorably on the Facebook posts of Tom Norton, who announced a campaign to defeat Meijer in the 2022 Republican primary. Six days earlier, Meijer had pulled a smoke hood over his face and fled the U.S. House of Representatives as insurgents broke into the lower chamber. 4. You have God and you have Satan. Wren: How would you describe the state of the Michigan Republican Party today, post-midterms? Wren: This dynamic played out with your Republican primary opponent, John Gibbs, the far-right conspiracy theorist who criticized womens right to vote and propagated the idea that Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta participated in satanic rituals. Meijer was sworn in to the 117th Congress as a freshman on January 3, 2021. Rep. Peter Meijer said he has no regrets over his vote last year to impeach then-President Donald Trump, a decision that made him a target of the former president . They first met at the University, but information about their dating and relationship before marriage hasn't yet been disclosed the due to personal issues. Reggie Gowlandwife: Is Reggie Gowland married? SIMON: What about the argument that Democratic groups have used saying that the Republican Party, at large, is promoting candidates who would overturn lawful election results and it's just too late to play by those old, circumspect rules? And Peter was one of them., Meijer figured there could be no turning back. Some of the House hard-liners who sought to block certificationMo Brooks, Jim Jordan, Matt Gaetzshared discredited YouTube testimonies and Fox News clips to emphasize how the issue was playing with the conservative base. They arent the ones paying the price when the consequences come due. He conducted intelligence operations to protect American allied forces. Meanwhile, after Peter voted for Trumps impeachment, he is taking several measures to keep his family and wife safe as he is receiving threats for being a betrayer. He serves on the Committee on Homeland Oversight, Security, Management, and Accountability as a Ranking Member of the Subcommittee. For Meijer, the stillness was unsettling. Hillary Clinton was probably the worst Democratic nominee of my lifetime. Wren: Youre worth more than $50 million. Follow me on Twitter (@NaNa_KqAmE). Wren: Where do you think the Trump fixation in the Republican Party is headed? But one, from a longtime activist hed gotten to know, caught his eye. Thousands of demonstrators have protested at state-capitol buildings, demanding forensic audits of the 2020 results. Mr. Meijer and his spouse make a perfect pair and Peter himself admits it often. But what I recognized with Peter, during our conversations, was that he never talked about the political implications. Meijer thought for a moment. This was the very class that had fueled Meijers political imagination as a teenager. He threw himself into the public debate surrounding January 6. The first-term congressman served in the Iraq war and cast one of his first House votes to impeach . Meijer: It is hard to imagine how I could have been better positioned to try to make the maximum impact. Meijer watched, from a hotel lounge, as the presidents lawyers Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell held a deranged press conference at the headquarters of the Republican National Committee. Sure enough, in more than a dozen stops across his district over the summer and fall, this was the only one where I saw anyone ask Meijer about the madness of January. Follow me on Facebook and LinkedIn @Cecelia Chintoh. He has two siblings namely Haley Meijer and his other sibling details will be updated. When we spoke next, a few weeks later, Meijer sounded defeated. You have the side of light and the side of dark. As of late January, he says, I thought there was the opportunity to have a harsh confrontation with reality. Veterans Burn Pits Exposure Recognition Act of 2021. The sophomores and juniors he stood before were studying the same curriculum that had informed his core beliefs about America and the responsibilities of government. Copyright 2023 | WordPress Theme by MH Themes, Anastasia Kvitko Dating, Boyfriend, Net Worth, Plastic Surger, Facts, Kelby Krabbenhoft Net worth, Bio, Wiki, Salary, Wife, Married, Education, Sanford. But the people who never brought it up, I knew they would follow through. Meijer: Im not going to foreclose any possibility. Most of the questions he got were about the socialist Democratic agenda, the GOPs prospects for taking back control of Congress in 2022, and President Joe Bidens disastrous exit from Afghanistan. If he was outlining a positive agenda and speaking of the things that were started and hoping to be completed, if his message was about pointing the country in a better direction, it would be very different than what we have right now, which is just like the pettiest of petty grievances. The only reason why they were aware is because I thought the right thing to do was to just kind of announce ourselves, dont ask for any support to take up any resources, contrary to a lot of the White House trying to tar and feather us out of their own sense of embarrassment. Peter Meijer is the eldest of the two children of Hank Meijer. This is the United States Capitol, he told himself. It was from a senior White House official, someone whod heard he was on the fence, urging the new congressman to vote for impeachment. It's win at all cost. Check out more from this issue and find your next story to read. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. But Ill tell you, it hasnt come up much since [February]. For a few minutesit felt much longerthey were on their own. I was surprised to hear Meijer mention Gosar, the conspiracy-spreading, white-nationalist-sympathizing congressman who in November was censured by the House for sharing an animated video that depicted him murdering Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. For a lot of people here, they swore that impeachment vote was the end for Peter Meijer, says Ben Geiger, the chair of the Barry County Republican Party, which voted in February to censure the congressman. The differentiator between a Republican candidate winning or losing tended to be the level of Mr. Trumps support; the winners themselves ranged widely in terms of their own political brands, from hard-core MAGA to business-backed establishment. Meijers first political memory was made watching the impeachment of Bill Clinton. (Haley Meijer said in a statement that she loves and admires her brother, though they have differing beliefs on certain subjects.), In her worldview, Meijer says, theres no room for disagreements. When they pressed himone of the freshmen asked whether Trump was crazy enough to believe that decertification would somehow keep him in officeMcCarthy replied, The thing you have to understand about Donald Trump is that he hasnt been in government that long. More recently, shes become a QAnon follower and devout conspiracy theorist. His one similarly stormy term in Congress was coming to a close. I just think back to talking to some of the folks who were on the ground, they were like, Its awesome you came. They just felt like they were working in this crucible. I dont know if hes trying to make people forgethes doing his job. Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Twitter (@NYTopinion) and Instagram. 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