WASHINGTON — As more and more Democratic members of Congress are calling for the impeachment of President Donald Trump, Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced a formal impeachment inquiry.
The call came from Democratic representatives across the nation, including two local Representatives.
On Monday, Congresswoman Elaine Luria (VA-02) joined six other freshman Democratic lawmakers who called for the House of Representatives to move forward with the impeachment of President Donald Trump.
In an op-ed in The Washington Post, Luria and those Democrats, all of whom served in the military and national security, said they "do not arrive at this conclusion lightly."
The impeachment talk came after a whistle-blower's report that said while the Trump was on the phone with Ukraine's president, he urged him to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son.
Biden is running for the 2020 Democratic Presidential nomination.
Luria and the other freshman representatives called the allegations "a threat to all" they've sworn to protect.
The six freshman lawmakers who joined Luria were Reps. Gil Cisneros of California, Jason Crow of Colorado, Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey, Elissa Slotkin of Michigan and Abigail Spanberger of Virginia.
They come largely from swing districts where Trump is popular but voters split.
In a statement Luria said:
In the military and in Congress, I swore an oath to protect our Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic. In recent days, credible information has emerged that President Trump sought to pressure a foreign government — Ukraine — to produce damning information on a political opponent. Furthermore, reporting suggests he threatened to withhold critical security assistance to Ukraine, a partner that is under direct assault from Russia, in exchange for the performance of this investigation. He put the foreign policy and national security of the United States at risk while doing so. This was clearly an attempt to leverage foreign involvement to bolster his reelection campaign and shows a total disregard for our democratic political process. It is clear to me that he has betrayed the public trust and abandoned his obligations to the Constitution by elevating his own interests over the national interest. Allegations of this gross misconduct meet the threshold of high crimes and misdemeanors set by the Constitution. Congress must investigate and use the full extent of its powers to check these alleged abuses of presidential power. The House must move forward with impeachment.
Luria told 13News Now it's important that the House takes a stand.
"And you know, this is truly a threat to our national security," she said. "It's a threat to our election process. And I think it this is not something that merits impeachment, what does?"
Luria isn't the only Representative from Hampton Roads calling for impeachment. On Tuesday, Rep. Donald McEachin (VA-04) issued a statement urging the House to pursue articles of impeachment.
“When I took the oath of office, I swore to uphold the Constitution and now, I must stand up for what I know is right,” McEachin said in a statement. “It is clear that the sitting president of the United States has repeatedly violated the law and damaged our democracy. Recent reports, if true, about his conversation with the president of Ukraine, demonstrate that he continues to place self-interest ahead of national interests, putting his desire to win re-election above our rule of law and national security. To look the other way is an abrogation of my oath, my duty, and my responsibility.”
Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) followed suit after Pelosi announced the formal inquiry. In his statement, Scott said:
“Unfortunately, after the Mueller report found multiple instances of obstruction of justice committed by the President, after the President has continued to profit from foreign business transactions in violation of the Emoluments Clause, and after failing to sanction violations of the Hatch Act, recent events cannot be ignored. The President has now admitted to sacrificing national security for his own political gain and then violating the law by refusing to provide to Congress the whistle-blower complaint submitted to the Intelligence Community Inspector General. That is just the latest example of this president violating the law and constitutional norms, and this violation undermines our national security.
Every Member of Congress swore an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution. I therefore support Speaker Pelosi’s call for a formal impeachment inquiry. It is the only appropriate course of action given the severity of recent events. Additionally, the Trump Administration must make the entire whistle-blower complaint available to Congress immediately so we can consider its contents along with the evidence of other impeachable offenses that the president has committed.”
And, while it seems unlikely that the Republican-controlled Senate would ever vote to convict the President, it is important that the Democratic-controlled House do as it sees fits, according to Christopher Newport University Political Analyst Rachel Bitecofer.
"The House has no choice," said Bitecofer. "They must initiate a proper investigation. The White House is withholding the evidence. They haven't let Congress see the whistle blower's complaint, even though legally they were supposed to. And there's just no other choice if we want to protect the rule of law of the U.S. Congress must pursue this."
The Washington Post reported 158 House members now support impeachment.
Trump has denied he told the president of Ukraine that his country would only get U.S. aid if they investigated the son of Democratic rival Joe Biden.
During a meeting Monday on the sidelines of the United Nations, Trump said emphatically: "I didn't do it."
He said he hoped people would be able to eventually see a transcript of the call. He says if his critics ever see it, they will be "very disappointed."
Trump said he didn't put "any pressure" on Ukraine to investigate Hunter Biden.
His comments came amid reports he pressured Ukraine's leader to help investigate Biden at the same time the White House was withholding $250 million in aid to the Eastern European nation.
Late on Monday, The Washington Post and The Associated Press reported Trump had ordered his staff to freeze nearly $400 million in aid to Ukraine a few days before the reported call with Ukrainian President Voldymyr Zelenskiy.
Not everyone agrees with the call for impeachment.
North Carolina Congressman Greg Murphy, M.D. spoke out against Speaker Nancy Pelosi's announcement of a formal impeachment inquiry into President Trump.
In the statement, Murphy said:
Today’s announcement by Speaker Pelosi that she would proceed with an impeachment inquiry is an affront to democracy. The witch hunt that has consumed the Democrats over the last two years and cost the country millions and millions of dollars needs to stop. This is just another instance where the Democrats care more about tearing the country down rather than running it. They need to abandon this divisive nonsense.
The Trump campaign responded to the impeachment inquiry. In a statement, Brad Parscale, the Trump 2020 Campaign Manager said:
Democrats can’t beat President Trump on his policies or his stellar record of accomplishment, so they’re trying to turn a Joe Biden scandal into a Trump problem. The misguided Democrat impeachment strategy is meant to appease their rabid, extreme, leftist base, but will only serve to embolden and energize President Trump’s supporters and create a landslide victory for the President.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.