Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL) became the 134th House Democrat to call for a formal impeachment investigation into Donald Trump.
Rep. Schneider said in a statement provided to PoliticusUSA:
After months of relentless stonewalling by the Trump administration, I believe it is necessary to elevate the various Congressional investigations of the President to a formal impeachment inquiry as the only way to ensure the American people have a comprehensive understanding of the facts uncovered by Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation and hold the President accountable for his actions.
Since the start of the Mueller investigation, I have been committed to following the facts wherever they lead. In his report, the Special Counsel made clear that then candidate Trump, and the Trump campaign, eagerly welcomed foreign interference in our election. The Special Counsel also lays out that President Trump subsequently acted on numerous occasions to block and obstruct the investigation into what occurred.
These are serious charges that demand further investigation. I previously believed that Congress’s oversight and investigative efforts—through hearings, subpoenas, and lawsuits—were the appropriate vehicle to uncover the truth. Regrettably, it is clear that the Administration has little regard for the Constitution, is unwilling to provide any information to Congress, and is seeking to play out the clock.
Like my colleagues and me, the President took an oath to protect and defend our Constitution. The President’s refusal to appropriately respond to Russian attacks on our 2016 elections, despite overwhelming evidence and the conclusions of our nation’s intelligence agencies, and his more recent actions blocking congressional efforts to secure future elections, are a failure to fulfill that oath and the duties of his office.
I do not make this decision lightly. It is guided by the oath I took to the constitution and transcends politics. We are a nation of laws, and they must apply to every American, regardless of high office. The President has disregarded our Constitution by welcoming foreign interference in our election and attempting to block investigations and legitimate Congressional oversight into what occurred. The American people deserve to know the truth about what happened and those who are responsible must be held accountable. An impeachment inquiry is the only way to do so, and I support opening one immediately.
It is a matter of when, not if, a formal impeachment investigation begins into Donald Trump. Public opinion polls show that outside of the Democratic Party, no one has much of a stomach for impeaching Trump, but a formal impeachment investigation is a different creature. A formal investigation would give Democrats more tools to break Trump’s obstruction. All of this may be irrelevant by Election Day if the recession hits, but Democrats have a duty to get to the truth, and the best way to do that is a formal impeachment investigation.
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