Virginia Democrat Gerry Connolly Calls for Impeachment Inquiry into President Trump

Virginia Democrat Rep. Gerry Connolly on Thursday became the 119th Democrat in the House to call for President Trump’s impeachment.

“[A]fter careful thought and consideration, I believe the time has come for the House of Representatives to begin an impeachment inquiry into President Donald J. Trump,” he said in a statement citing four reasons.

First, he said, the “gravity of the revelations in the Special Counsel’s report and testimony before Congress should trouble all Americans,” he said.

Second, he said the Trump administration has defied Congress’s “legitimate investigations and subpoenas.”

“If these constitutionally-mandated oversight responsibilities are left undefended, our very democracy is threatened,” he said.

Third, he said the president “at every opportunity has chosen to disregard the rule of law and our constitution for his own enrichment.”

Fourth, he said the president “has instilled fear and incited violence.”

“He has called American communities infested, he has told members of Congress to go back to where they came from, he stoked the flames of white supremacy by repeatedly referring to an invasion of foreigners, and he has questioned the allegiance of our fellow Americans,” Connolly said, adding:

We stand at a perilous moment for our country. No individual should be above the law. No individual should act the way this president behaves without consequence. No administration should be allowed to disregard the constitution at their whim. Now more than ever, Congress must assert its constitutional role and that is why I believe we must immediately start an impeachment inquiry into President Trump.

He did not specify whether he supported the impeachment investigation begun by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-NY) or if he was calling for the House to pass articles of impeachment. Nadler on Thursday insisted his impeachment investigation was “formal impeachment proceedings.”

Democrats are still 98 votes away from passing articles of impeachment in the House. So far, 119 Democrats and one independent support impeachment, but a majority in the House would be needed.