All Washington House Democrats join chorus supporting impeachment inquiry
Four Western Washington Democrats in Congress, including Denny Heck and Derek Kilmer, announced Sunday they will support a formal impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump’s dealings with Russia before the 2016 election and with the investigation that followed.
That means all seven of the state’s Democratic members of Congress are now in favor of an impeachment inquiry, since Reps. Pramila Jayapal, Rick Larsen, and Adam Smith already had voiced their support. Nationally, about 100 in Congress had supported such a move, although the numbers were increasing Sunday.
“I support initiation of an impeachment inquiry by the House Judiciary Committee and will support measures to accomplish this when Congress returns to Washington, D.C.,” said Heck, the 10th District representative from Olympia, in a statement on Sunday.
“The rule of law needs to mean something,” Kilmer said in his own statement on Sunday. “With that clear focus, I support the House of Representatives beginning an impeachment inquiry.”
Kilmer represents the 6th District, which includes Tacoma and the Olympic Peninsula.
The 8th District representative, Kim Schrier, also chimed in via Twitter on Sunday. “I am formally calling for an impeachment inquiry,” said Schrier, who represents eastern portions of King and Pierce counties as well as Chelan and Kittitas counties.
Suzan DelBene, representing the 1st District, which includes the majority of Whatcom, Skagit, and Snohomish counties, also called for an impeachment inquiry.
U.S. Sen. Patty Murray offered her support of their announcements in a statement released Sunday afternoon: “I agree with my fellow members of the Washington delegation that, as we have learned more about the gravity of the potential threats to our democracy identified in Special Counsel Mueller’s report, it has become clear the House should begin proceedings to determine whether the President’s actions necessitate impeachment.”
Heck said he came to his decision after his work on the House Intelligence Committee, which has pored over special counsel Robert Mueller’s report on Russian interference in the 2016 election, as well as after hearing from voters in the 10th Congressional District.
He also cited Mueller’s testimony before the House Judiciary and Intelligence committees last week.
“After considerable reflection and prayerful consideration, I’ve reached some conclusions,” Heck said in a statement.
Here is Heck’s entire statement:
“First, there is no question that the President encouraged, welcomed and benefited from the interference of a foreign adversary in our 2016 election. Furthermore, he has both refused to fully acknowledge it occurred and even suggested he might welcome such interference again. The White House has also opposed Congressional measures to enhance election security going forward. This strikes at the very core of our democracy and democratic values. America’s elections are for Americans. Period. Support of free, fair and open elections is not negotiable.
“The President has also engaged in an aggressive and active cover-up of the effort to reveal all the facts. This is particularly true of the many ways in which potential financial conflicts or motivations may have guided the Trump campaign or several of its high-ranking officials. This was the essence of my exchange with Special Counsel Mueller during the hearing last week. Americans deserve to know the full extent of the facts. Officially initiating an impeachment inquiry substantially strengthens the legal hand of the House to discover all information.
“I am familiar with the political arguments against initiating an impeachment inquiry based on the findings to date. For example, some suggest that the Senate is highly unlikely to convict the President should the House impeach him and that his chances of reelection will therefore be enhanced. That may be true. What is truer is that nothing less than the rule of law is at stake.”
Here is Kilmer’s entire statement:
“I came to Congress with two goals in mind: to see the economy work better for people in my region and to see government work better for them. I don’t want to see a government that is dysfunctional, corrupt, and unable to make progress on delivering health care, jobs, and education for the folks I represent. That’s why I chose to seek this job. It’s why I get on a plane each week and spend time away from my wife and daughters.
“In the past few years, it has often been disheartening to see our government become more polarized and less accountable to the American people. Perhaps nowhere has that been more evident than in the actions of President Trump.
“I’ve long raised concerns about his policies. Each time that I pray that he will appeal to the better angels of our nature, he instead embraces rhetoric and actions that seek only to divide us further. But as objectionable as I have found such rhetoric and as unacceptable as I have found such policies, they do not rise to the level of impeachment.
“However, the evidence laid out in the Mueller Report – and the testimony of Director Mueller that amplified it – commands a higher level of concern. I have read the Mueller Report – when it was first released and again in the days leading up to his testimony. The clear evidence of corruption has already led to multiple indictments and guilty pleas by the president’s national security advisor, personal attorney, and the chairman of his campaign.
“The president’s open acceptance of support from Russians was undeniably disruptive to the integrity of our democracy. We are now learning that the Russians penetrated election systems in all 50 states. This ongoing threat is real, and it is the duty of both parties to protect our democracy from a similar assault in 2020.
“But perhaps most troubling is the evidence – on multiple occasions – of obstruction of justice.
“The details of the president’s actions – from his interactions with former FBI Director James Comey, to his persistent efforts to limit the scope of the Mueller Investigation, to his actions seeking to influence testimony of others (many who ended up being indicted themselves) – cannot be ignored. In fact, more than 1,000 former federal prosecutors – Democrats and Republicans – have said that the evidence would be sufficient to prosecute the president on obstruction charges.
“Opening an impeachment inquiry is disruptive and it may further polarize a country that is already far too divided. These factors have consistently given me pause. Beyond that, I have great respect for the leaders in the House and the committee chairs that have suggested a step-by-step approach. I respect their judgment and their leadership, and I agree that the committees of jurisdiction should continue the important oversight work that they have begun and pursue the facts. I have grappled with the fact that the Senate may dismiss even the strongest evidence. Indeed, the Senate may exonerate the president.
“In my view, the incidents of obstruction and of foreign interference cited in the Mueller report should not be dismissed based on politics, party biases, or the fear of some predicted outcome. Moreover, I believe Congress can continue working to deliver on health care, education and jobs while also following the evidence and upholding its obligations under the Constitution. The American people deserve no less.
“At the end of the day, I come back to the reason I came to Congress in the first place. I want to see more folks I represent have good jobs, quality health care, and top-notch educational opportunities and I’m committed to continuing to work every day toward those ends. But I also came to Congress because I want to see government work better for the people I represent. I don’t want a government that is corrupt. I don’t want the lesson to my daughters – or to any Americans – to be that actions like these are acceptable. Obstructing justice and accepting assistance from foreign governments simply cannot be a standard that we accept.
“The rule of law needs to mean something. The integrity of our democracy needs to mean something. With that clear focus, I support the House of Representatives beginning an impeachment inquiry.”
This story was originally published July 28, 2019 at 12:41 PM.
