Many Democratic lawmakers say they’ll decide on impeachment after they learn the details of a call between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that was the subject of a whistleblower complaint.
The number of House Democrats who support impeaching the president increased this week, and many Democrats said their decision hinges on whether there is proof that Trump offered billions in security aid to Ukraine if Zelensky would pledge to investigate Trump’s chief political rival, Joe Biden.
“If Congress confirms reports of egregious misconduct that threaten the security of our country or undermine faith in our democracy, I will vote to impeach the president,” Rep. Katie Hill of California, one of several moderate Democratic freshmen to announce this week they are open to impeachment.
Trump said he might release the transcript of the July 25 call with Zelensky but hasn’t done so yet.
Democrats want him to turn over the information by Thursday, when acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire is scheduled to testify before the House Intelligence Committee in a rare open session. The Senate Intelligence Committee is expected to interview Maguire in a closed session on Thursday.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California will meet Tuesday afternoon with rank-and-file lawmakers to discuss the whistleblower complaint and to deal with mounting pressure from those who want to open a formal impeachment inquiry.
Pelosi has called on Trump to turn over the whistleblower information and, in a memo to Democrats, hinted at impeachment if he does not comply.
“If the administration persists in blocking this whistleblower from disclosing to Congress a serious possible breach of constitutional duties by the president, they will be entering a grave new chapter of lawlessness which will take us into a whole new stage of investigation,” Pelosi said.
Seven freshmen Democrats Tuesday said they would back impeachment if there is truth to allegations that Trump dangled foreign aid in exchange for help hurting a political foe.
“If these allegations are true, we believe these actions represent an impeachable offense,” the freshmen lawmakers wrote in the Washington Post.
Nearly two-thirds of House Democrats back impeachment, still short of a House majority that would be needed to open a formal inquiry or pass articles of impeachment.
Biden, the leading Democratic contender for president, announced he too would back impeachment if the allegations against Trump prove true. Biden said Trump is required by law to turn over the complaint, and if he does not do so, Congress has to impeach him.
Republicans disagree over whether Trump must turn over the complaint, but they also want to know if the Ukraine allegations are true.
“To me, the real issue is was there a quid pro quo,” Sen. John Kennedy told the Washington Examiner on Tuesday.
The Republican senator for Louisiana said he believes Trump will eventually release information answering that question.
“There needs to be an investigation,” Kennedy said, but not just into Trump’s call.
Kennedy wants an investigation into Biden’s actions in Ukraine while serving as vice president while his son, Hunter Biden, earned a hefty payout working for Ukraine gas company run by oligarch Mykola Zlochevsky.
“Maybe the Ukraine oligarch got Mr. Biden’s name off ZipRecruiter, but I doubt it,” Kennedy said.
