Urges short impeachment process

by Mike Andrew - SGN Staff Writer

'We don't need to investigate any longer,' Seattle-area Rep. Pramila Jayapal said on September 24, as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi formally announced an impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump.

'The crimes have been committed in clear daylight. People should stop looking for a secret smoking gun. Donald Trump is the smoking gun,' Jayapal said in an interview.

Jayapal noted that Trump admitted he asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate presidential rival Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, in return for US military assistance to the Ukraine.

Jayapal called for Trump's impeachment in May, making her the first in the Washington state congressional delegation to do so. Now, all six of her Democratic colleagues have joined her, along with US Sen. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell.

Murray said on her Twitter account that Trump's dealings with Ukraine were reminiscent of his campaign's back-channel communications with Russia during the 2016 presidential race.

'This is gross corruption and a clear threat to our democracy. Anyone who doesn't speak out is complicit,' she wrote.

None of the state's three Republican representatives have joined in the call for impeachment, however. Predictably, they are now accusing Democrats of 'a rush to judgment.'

'This is yet another example of the hyperpartisan political climate today. Instead of waiting for all the facts, House Democrats are jumping to unfounded conclusions,' Rep. Cathy McMorris-Rodgers said in a statement.

'I will be reviewing the facts before making any decisions on what's best for the American people.'

McMorris-Rodgers is part of the House Republican leadership team. Neither Rep. Jaime Herrera-Beutler nor Rep. Dan Newhouse would make a statement about impeachment. Herrera-Beutler merely congratulated Trump on his decision to publish the transcript of his call with Zelensky.