Rep. Blake Moore joined the three other Utah representatives to the U.S. House in voting against impeaching President Donald Trump, due in part to his discomfort with moving so fast on such a weighty matter.

“This is unprecedented to do an impeachment trial this fast. This is rushed,” Moore, a Republican, told the Standard-Examiner after Wednesday’s vote. “There are no hearings, anything to that nature. Impeachment will always be … a very high bar, and to not be able to go through that process is not something that I was willing to agree to, so I voted no.”

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He joined Reps. Chris Stewart, Burgess Owens and John Curtis in voting no, like most House Republicans. The measure passed the Democratic-controlled House anyway, 232-197, netting the backing of 10 GOP members. Now it’s to go to the U.S. Senate, though Trump’s looming departure on Jan. 20 throws into question whether it’ll move forward.

His no vote notwithstanding, Moore — a freshman lawmaker sworn in on Jan. 3 and in just his first month of service — thinks the Jan. 6 rioting at the U.S. Capitol that spurred the new impeachment push merits further investigation. Trump, who has falsely claimed victory in last November’s presidential contest, encouraged his backers to descend on the Capitol that day as U.S. lawmakers tallied the Electoral College vote in the race, won by Democrat Joe Biden. The rioting followed.

“There needs to be accountability and it needs to be investigated and I fully support that,” Moore said. He supports holding whoever was involved in the Jan. 6 violence accountable, and even Trump needs to be investigated “to the level that he was involved.”

Indeed, on Tuesday, Moore signed on as cosponsor of a resolution calling for the censure of the president, House Concurrent Resolution 5. He joined Curtis, Utah’s 3rd District representative, and seven other Republican lawmakers in offering backing for the measure put forward by Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a Pennsylvania GOPer.

What happens with HCR 5 in the wake of Wednesday’s impeachment vote, though, is unclear. “I don’t know what future that has,” Moore said.

Whatever the case, it has some tough language, censuring and condemning Trump for unlawfully trying to overturn the 2020 presidential vote and violating his oath of office in connection with the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol violence. Signing on to HCR 5, Moore said in a statement, “was the most painful decision I have ever made in my life,” he said, and he expects he’ll get many critics for his position.

Trump “has acted in a manner grossly incompatible with self-governance and the rule of law,” HCR 5 reads, further affirming Biden’s victory in the presidential vote. Moreover, the measure, meant as an alternative to impeachment, pins blame on Trump in connection with the Capitol violence. Trump “made statements that, in context, encouraged — and foreseeably resulted in — lawless action at the Capitol, such as: ‘if you don’t fight like hell you’re not going to have a country anymore,'” it reads.

The impeachment issue has further ratcheted up the heat and partisan divide among U.S. lawmakers, judging by comments U.S. House members offered in the leadup to Wednesday’s impeachment vote. Moore, among those who spoke on the House floor, addressed the tone.

“As I listen to the debate, it’s no wonder we’re divided,” he said. “We’re on an absolute race to the bottom.”

Even so, in his comments with the Standard-Examiner he indicated there’s hope for better things to come, citing his interactions with other freshman lawmakers in Washington, D.C. Moore represents the 1st District, which covers northern Davis County, Weber County and eight other northern and northeastern Utah counties.

“I have met some incredible people. It’s not everything you see on the news. There’s incredible people here that are dedicated to serving their districts, serving the greater good,” he said.

Meanwhile, the military presence in Washington is heavy in the wake of Jan. 6 and ahead of Biden’s inauguration. “It’s sad that we’re there,” Moore said.

But he’s hopeful the ceremonies next week will unfold safely. “I’m confident we’ll be able to have an inauguration. I’m hopeful that it will be safe, no incidents. It’s definitely heavily guarded, but I’m confident we’ll get through next week,” he said.

After the rioting at the Capitol, Moore expressed alarm, saying he “was greatly saddened and troubled” by the turn of events. That reaction and his vote to uphold the Electoral College vote in the varied states, despite some GOP reticence, apparently rubbed some the wrong way.

“Last week, I feared for my life and the safety of my family. Because of the position I took, the governor of Utah felt compelled to dispatch a patrol car to protect my wife and children,” Moore said in a statement after Wednesday’s vote. But, he went on, he “was not elected to solely vote my personal feelings but to vote objectively with respect to the Constitution and my district.”