Aurora Rep. Jason Crow is one of seven freshmen Democrats with military and national security backgrounds saying that it’s an “impeachable offense” if allegations that President Donald Trump tried to pressure Ukraine into investigating a political opponent prove true.
The joint op-ed in The Washington Post calls on Congress to use all authorities, including “inherent contempt” and impeachment hearings, to investigate the “stunning” allegations to “find the truth and protect our national security.”
“These new allegations are a threat to all we have sworn to protect. We must preserve the checks and balances envisioned by the Founders and restore the trust of the American people in our government. And that is what we intend to do,” the op-ed states.
Crow was joined by Reps. Gil Cisneros of California, Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, Elaine Luria of Virginia, Mikie Sherril of New Jersey, Elissa Slotkin of Michigan and Abigail Spanberger of Virginia. All seven unseated Republicans in 2018 in swing districts.
“We've all sworn an oath to the Constitution many, many times over, many of us for our entire career,” Rep. Slotkin said on NPR’s Morning Edition. “I mean, we did it again in January. And I think these new allegations, if true, just were a game changer for us. They represented something different.”
Previously, Crow called for the impeachment inquiry to complete its work, but stop short of calling for impeachment. The other Colorado Democrat urging caution and deliberation on impeachment, Rep. Ed Perlmutter, tweeted Monday that “We need to follow this paper trail. Americans deserve answers and, by law, Congress has a right to see the whistleblower complaint. @realDonaldTrump's lawlessness will not be tolerated.”
Trump said he did talk with Ukraine's president about Biden, but denied doing anything improper.
Republican lawmakers, including Sen. Cory Gardner, who sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, have remained largely silent on this issue. Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah tweeted out his concerns about the allegations writing, “If the President asked or pressured Ukraine’s president to investigate his political rival, either directly or through his personal attorney, it would be troubling in the extreme.”
