Tulsi Gabbard on impeachment vote: "I did not take the easy vote"

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) said she did not "take the easy vote" when she broke with the majority of her party on Wednesday and voted "present" on two articles of impeachment against President Trump. She felt her vote "was in the best interest of our country," the congresswoman told NBC.

The big picture: Gabbard is the only 2020 presidential candidate who had a chance to vote on impeachment, and she has criticized the process as partisan, the New York Times reports. She favors a measure to censure Trump rather than impeaching him.

What she's saying:

"Congress has the opportunity to send a strong message to this president and all future presidents that Congress will not allow abuses of power to go unchecked, while still respecting the people of this country, who have the power to cast their votes and decide whether or not to remove this president. And I really believe that they will."

Go deeper:

• Tulsi Gabbard is the 2020 field's lightning rod
• Tulsi Gabbard on the issues, in under 500 words