Seven freshmen Democrats who were critical to the Democrats winning back the House in 2018 have decided to come out in support of an impeachment inquiry against President Trump, according to a new op-ed they co-authored.
Those freshmen Democrats are Reps. Gil Cisneros (CA), Jason Crow (CO), Chrissy Houlahan (MD), Elaine Luria (VA), Mikie Sherrill (NJ), Elissa Slotkin (MI), and Abigail Spanberger (VA).
Luria, Slotkin, and Spanberger are the most vulnerable of those Democrats, whose seats are rated as “toss ups” in 2020 by the Cook Political Report.
Slotkin was pressed during the August recess on her stance on impeachment.
In August, she told the Washington Post, “People in my district are wanting us to pass bills, and they fear that if we go down this path of impeachment, we’re not going to be working on the things that affect their lives, their pocketbooks, their kids.”
However, she has changed her mind after reports that a whistleblower alleged Trump pressured the new president of Ukraine during a phone call to investigate Joe Biden’s son, who worked with a Ukrainian oligarch under investigation for corruption. The reports suggested Trump was using military aid for Ukraine as leverage.
According to some of the reports, the whistleblower had second-hand knowledge of the phone call between Trump and the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky. Those reports also said Trump did not offer any quid pro quo.
But Democrats are demanding that the White House release the whistleblower complaint and the transcript of the president’s call with Zelensky, which they argue by law needs to be shared with Congress.
Trump has denied any wrongdoing, but the reports have Democrats like Slotkin, a former Pentagon official, now lining up for impeachment.
Slotkin and the others wrote in the op-ed:
If these allegations are true, we believe these actions represent an impeachable offense. We do not arrive at this conclusion lightly, and 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, find the truth and protect our national security.
As members of Congress, we have prioritized delivering for our constituents — remaining steadfast in our focus on health care, infrastructure, economic policy and our communities’ priorities. Yet everything we do harks back to our oaths to defend the country. These new allegations are a threat to all we have sworn to protect. We must preserve the checks and balances envisioned by the Founders and restore the trust of the American people in our government. And that is what we intend to do.
Their calls for impeachment put House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) in a tough position. She has opposed beginning impeachment proceedings against Trump, mindful of the backlash Republicans faced after they launched impeachment proceedings against former President Bill Clinton.
Most of the country does not support impeachment. According to a recent Politico/Morning Consult poll, only 37 percent of voters support beginning impeachment proceedings, while 50 percent of voters oppose doing so, and 12 percent are undecided.
Even worse for Democrats, independent voters lean heavily against impeaching Trump, with even fewer — 31 percent — backing beginning impeachment proceedings, compared to 50 percent who oppose them, according to the poll.
A Democrat leadership aide told Axios, “The Speaker is a numbers girl. … The public sentiment has to be there.”
But Pelosi is facing more pressure than ever to move towards impeachment.
Several of her allies have said if the White House does not turn over documents related to the whistleblower’s complaints, the House should begin impeachment proceedings.
The Democrat caucus is meeting Tuesday afternoon, and Pelosi is expected to make a statement on the issue, according to Politico.
Democrats also see two more events this week as potential watershed moments for impeachment efforts.
Trump’s Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire is due to testify in front of the House Intelligence Committee on Thursday, and several Democrat chairmen have asked Secretary of State Michael Pompeo to hand over documents related to Trump’s efforts to investigate Biden’s son also by Thursday.
Follow Breitbart News’s @Kristina_Wong.
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