NASHVILLE - Three prominent congressional Democrats from Tennessee and Georgia abruptly shifted course Tuesday to join in calls for opening impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump as the effort surged among Democrats amid reports the president may have sought Ukraine's help in his 2020 reelection effort.
Late Tuesday afternoon, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi launched a formal impeachment inquiry, charging that the Trump administration's "actions undermine our national security and intelligence."
Earlier in the day, U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper, a Tennessee Democrat, said in a statement that "no one, not even the President, is above the law."
He added that the president's "invitation to yet another foreign power - this time Ukraine - to undermine U.S. elections requires that Congress begin the process in our Constitution to levy formal charges against him. This is a very serious step, but the President's continuing misconduct requires that Congress uphold our Constitution and the laws of the land."
Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., condemns bigoted remarks by President Donald Trump directed at four Democratic women of color who serve in the House, during a television news interview at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, July 16, 2019. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga., speaks to constituents during a town hall meeting Tuesday, August 13, 2019, at a senior center in Lithonia, Ga. (AP Photo/John Amis)In a fiery House floor speech, U.S. Rep. John Lewis, D-Georgia, said "I truly believe the time to begin impeachment proceedings against this president has come." The Atlanta congressman said that "to delay or to do otherwise would betray the foundation of our democracy."
U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Georgia, also announced his support for opening proceedings against Trump over a phone call with Ukraine President Voldymyr Zelenskiy in which news outlets have reported the president is said to have asked for help investigating former vice president and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son Hunter over the latter's business dealings in the country.
While Cooper, a member of the moderate-to-conservative House Democrats' Blue Dog Caucus, had long resisted joining in with a number of Democrats on impeachment, U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, a Memphis Democrat, was an early proponent of Trump's impeachment.
Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., asks questions to former special counsel Robert Mueller, as he testifies before the House Judiciary Committee hearing on his report on Russian election interference, on Capitol Hill, in Washington, Wednesday, July 24, 2019. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)The two men are the lone Democrats in Tennessee's nine-member congressional delegation. Both come from safe districts but Cohen's is seen as more liberal.
Tuesday's announcement by Cooper drew criticism from Republican U.S. Senate hopeful Bill Hagerty, whom the president appointed as U.S. ambassador to Japan and endorsed even before Hagerty officially declared his bid.
"A clear majority of House Democrats, led by Nancy Pelosi and 'The Squad,' are calling for impeachment, and now that includes both of Tennessee's Democrat Congressmen," Hagerty said, calling it "disappointing to see both Jim Cooper and Steve Cohen join in tearing down President Trump, rather than working with him to make life better for Tennessee families."
If elected, Hagerty said, "I will help President Trump keep winning for Tennessee families, and I will always stand with him against the radical socialist agenda that seeks to destroy our conservative values."
In a later tweet, Hagerty's GOP rival Dr. Manny Sethi stated "the left continues to push for division instead of unity. These impeachment inquiries are nothing more than partisan theatrics. I support President Trump fully and urge Democrats to end this charade."
Sethi said in a second tweet that "I urge Republicans like Mitt Romney not to join the Democrats, but to stand firm in supporting our President."
U.S. Sen. Romney, the GOP's unsuccessful presidential nominee and a sometimes critic of Trump, once worked with Hagerty in the same venture capital firm.
Contact Andy Sher at asher@timesfreepress.com or 615-255-0550. Follow on Twitter @AndySher1.
WHAT THEY SAID
"Sadly, having accomplished nothing but fruitless investigations in this Congress, Speaker Pelosi has allowed this radical element to dictate another partisan investigation. An overwhelming majority of the American public rejects impeachment."- U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais, R-Tennessee"Today is a historic day for our nation. The President has breached his oath, violated the law and risked our national security. This week we learned that the President has abused his power and broken the law by pressuring a foreign government to investigate a political opponent. Further, he has moved to block the whistle blower report of that action being forwarded to Congress. These are but the latest in the long list of abuses of power by this President."- U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee"Based on a report they have never seen, about a conversation they never heard, from a person they have never met, the Speaker and her following have decided to drag our country into a mess. The consequences will be severe. Our legislative process will grind to a halt and economic progress will be put at risk. Instead of tackling issues like immigration, infrastructure and trade, our country will be stuck in the grip of leftist hysteria once again. The reckless pursuit of impeachment simply hurts our country and nobody wins."- U.S. Rep. Tom Graves, R-Ga.-District 14"Democrats have been investigating for months – frankly since President Trump was elected – and they have come up dry. Today's announcement is more of the same, the beginning of another baseless investigation from a so-called source that admittingly does not have firsthand knowledge of the exchange in question. The President made the correct decision to release the transcript of his call tomorrow, giving the American people the transparency they deserve. What the American people do not deserve are Democrats' continued relentless attacks on our President. When the Mueller report didn't placate their far-left base, their narrative quickly turned and here we are today. It is sad, it is not good governance, and it is dividing our country."- U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tenn.-District 3"Just when you think they can go no lower, Washington Democrats have proven us wrong. No plan to grow jobs, no plan to allow hard-working Americans to keep more of their money and no plan to keep us safe, but wasted energy on an impeachment process that is going nowhere in a hurry. President Trump's record of creating jobs, growing our economy, cutting taxes, and making sure America stands strong in the world is beyond dispute. Also beyond dispute is the obsessive hatred of Washington Democrats."- Georgia Speaker of the House David Ralston, R-District 7"The Inspector General should immediately release the full scope of the 'credible and urgent' whistleblower complaint as well as all corroborating evidence. Further, Senator David Perdue should publicly state whether he supports a full investigation of the whistleblower complaint, so that members of Congress can fulfill their Constitutional oversight and investigation duties. The Trump administration's chronic abuse of power continues to test the limits of our democracy. It's time for Congress to act. It's time to begin impeachment proceedings."- Democratic Georgia U.S. Senate candidate Sarah Riggs Amico