As the Washington Post reported late Monday that President Donald Trump ordered a hold on U.S. military aid to Ukraine just days before he pressured that country’s leader to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden—a move critics described as a serious abuse of power and “extortion”—a slew of Democrats previously unsupportive of impeachment began speaking out in favor of removing the president from office.
“The dam has burst, folks,” tweeted progressive advocacy group Indivisible after over a dozen House Democrats voiced support for impeachment proceedings against Trump Monday night, adding to the majority of the House Democratic caucus that already backed impeachment.
“The corruption of this administration has no bottom. The level of lawlessness is staggering. Our democracy needs defending, now more than ever. I’m ready to impeach.”
—Rep. Veronica Escobar
The Post, citing three anonymous senior administration officials, reported that Trump ordered Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney to “hold back almost $400 million in military aid for Ukraine at least a week before a phone call in which Trump is said to have pressured the Ukrainian president to investigate the son of former vice president Joe Biden.”
“Administration officials were instructed to tell lawmakers that the delays were part of an ‘interagency process’ but to give them no additional information—a pattern that continued for nearly two months, until the White House released the funds on the night of Sept. 11,” according to the Post.
Some described the Post story, which was confirmed by other outlets, as a “smoking gun,” but Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) said Monday night that Trump himself is the smoking gun and impeachment is the only solution.
“Congress appropriated the aid. The president withheld the aid because he wanted to pressure a foreign power to investigate his political opponent. The only remedy for this is impeachment. Period,” tweeted Jayapal. “This is not the latest thing Trump has done. It is the latest thing we have found out about. Imagine what else he is doing? We should stop looking for a smoking gun. Trump is the smoking gun.”
About two hours before the Post revelations were published, seven so-called moderate House Democrats penned an op-ed describing Trump’s alleged attempt to pressure a foreign government to investigate a political rival as “an impeachable offense.”
“We call on our colleagues in Congress to consider the use of all congressional authorities available to us, including the power of ‘inherent contempt’ and impeachment hearings, to address these new allegations,” wrote freshman Democratic Reps. Gil Cisneros (Calif.), Jason Crow (Colo.), Chrissy Houlahan (Penn.), Elaine Luria (Va.), Mikie Sherrill (N.J.), Elissa Slotkin (Mich.), and Abigail Spanberger (Va.).
“WHOA,” tweeted Indivisible co-executive director Ezra Levin. “These are about the last Dems I expected to come out for impeachment. Something’s changing folks.”
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