PEORIA, Ill.– Many local politicians are reacting to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s announcement that the House of Representatives will open a formal impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump.
U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood (R-18) says he plans to read the transcript before drawing any conclusions.
“In regard to the allegations involving the call between President Trump and the Ukrainian president, I take them seriously and appreciate that President Trump has authorized the release of the transcript. I intend to read the full transcript and review the facts before drawing any conclusions. It’s unfortunate that Democrats decided to placate to their extreme base by jumping to conclusions before reviewing the facts,” LaHood said.
U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) said the House should use its “constitutional authorities” to investigate.
Maura Gillepsie, communication director for Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-16), says Democrats are getting ahead of the facts.
“Impeachment is a serious charge and it is not something to be taken lightly. As the Congressman has said before, no foreign government should have an influence on our election, no matter what – nor should an American president utilize the power of this country to affect an election. It is deeply concerning to see Democrats jump ahead of the facts to satiate their desire for impeachment proceedings to begin. Congressman Kinzinger looks forward to reviewing the transcript, which will be released by the President tomorrow, and he will reserve judgment until such information is brought to light,” Gillepsie said.
US. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-13) believes the situation is all politics.
“President Trump will be releasing a transcript of the call tomorrow, but Democrats seem intent on impeaching this president no matter the facts and again putting the cart before the horse. Impeachment is a very serious charge and will halt any progress on legislation important to my constituents. It’s disappointing to me that Speaker Pelosi’s impeachment ploy continues to be based on politics, not facts,” Davis said.
U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-17) says Tuesday’s actions are necessary to get to the truth.
“Today’s action is a measured step to ensure the American people get the truth and the answers they deserve. This is a fact-finding mission. Both Democrats and Republicans should want to get to the bottom of whether the President put our national security at risk for his own political gain,” Bustos said.
Additionally, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) took to the Senate floor Tuesday afternoon to call for impeachment ahead of Pelosi’s announcement.
“As I consider the revelations that President Trump is using his office to extort Ukraine to support his political re-election campaign, I wonder why there is so much silence on the other side of the aisle,” the senator said. “This is an outrageous development.”
This story will be updated as more politicians respond.
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