Olympia could join other cities asking for investigation, impeachment of Trump

The Olympia City Council will consider a resolution Tuesday night urging Congress to investigate President Donald Trump to see whether there’s sufficient grounds for impeachment.

A citizen group called Puget Sound Communities 4 Impeachment brought the idea to the city council, said city spokeswoman Kellie Purce Braseth. City officials also have received several emails from Olympia residents regarding the issue.

“I can’t tell you where it will land,” Purce Braseth said. “But they’re going to have a discussion.”

A similar resolution has been passed in 13 other U.S. cities, most in California, according to a Puget Sound Communities 4 Impeachment press release.

The East Bay Times reported on March 29 that the Berkeley City Council unanimously passed legislation asking Congress to investigate Trump. The Los Angeles Times reported on May 5 that the Los Angeles City Council also passed an impeachment-related resolution.

A draft of Olympia’s resolution calls attention to the president’s business dealings, and accuses Trump of profiting from the presidency at public expense.

“President Trump’s personal and business holdings in the United States and abroad present unprecedented conflicts of interest, and the President has admitted he has conflicts of interest in some cases,” the draft reads.

The resolution calls on the U.S. House of Representatives to initiate impeachment proceedings by beginning an investigation.

"This resolution takes no money or attention away from the many important issues the Olympia council faces,” said Bonnie Jones of Puget Sound Communities 4 Impeachment. “Rather, it sends a strong message from the community to our congressional delegation that this president needs investigation into his potential violation of the Foreign Emoluments Clause of the U.S. Constitution and other crimes such as obstruction of justice.”

This story was originally published July 10, 2017 at 2:21 PM with the headline "Olympia could join other cities asking for investigation, impeachment of Trump."