The Democrats’ impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump is moving pretty quickly. How is it affecting politics in Kansas, and how are Kansas politicians responding?
Sen. Pat Roberts dismissed the impeachment inquiry as “political theater.”
He said he has read the whistleblower’s complaint about a call by Trump in July to Ukraine’s president in which Trump pressed for an investigation of Democratic Joe Biden and his family, but he can’t draw conclusions from it.
Trump wanted Ukraine’s assistance in U.S Attorney General William Barr’s investigation into whether Joe Biden stymied a Ukraine investigation of his son, Hunter Biden, when the elder Biden was Vice President. Biden has stated on camera that he got the prosecutor fired.
Moran statement
Sen. Jerry Moran noted that some Democrats have favored impeaching Trump “almost since the day he was elected.”
He also spoke about the current inquiry.
“Speaker Pelosi’s actions are a rush to judgement and were made before most of the facts were known. Absent concrete evidence of high crimes and misdemeanors, Congress should not use impeachment proceedings to overturn the results of an election.
“Since President Trump’s election, Democrats have been trying to delegitimize his presidency, and unfounded impeachment of President Trump would only further fracture our already divided country.”
Moran recently hosted U.S. Attorney General William Barr for tours of law enforcement centers in Topeka and Wichita. Barr did not answer questions from the media.
The state’s four congressional representatives have also weighed in on the subject.
Here are the statements or tweets from the Kansas delegation:
Ron Estes statement
“Even before seeing a transcript, Speaker Pelosi has decided to surrender to the most radical voices in her party by moving forward with an impeachment inquiry over reports of a phone call between President Trump and the leader of Ukraine.
“While the president has vowed to release a full transcript, which I look forward to reviewing, I believe starting an impeachment inquiry today is irresponsible and will only succeed in further dividing the American people.
“Since the day after the 2016 election, Democrats have vowed to impeach President Trump and have since spent more than two years searching for a reason to do it. Instead of impeachment, Congress should focus on priorities like the USMCA and accomplishing results for the American people.”
Roger Marshall on Twitter
“Democrats will stop at nothing to impeach our President. If only they devoted the last three years and energy to helping make American’s lives’ better…”
“Read the transcript. Once again, the left wing witch hunt fired before aiming.”
“Russia was the first attempt at a made-for-TV witch hunt. Ukraine seems to be the sequel.”
“Oversight committees need to do their job. And during the circus, some of us will still focus on helping the American people through expanded trade and security. Hope more will join.”
Steve Watkins on Twitter
“Impeachment is designed for high crimes and misdemeanors, not unconfirmed, secondhand accusations. This is nothing more than Democrats waving the white flag on 2020 and trying to impeach a President they know they can’t beat.”
“Democrats have been on a three-year witch-hunt to sabotage and delegitimize a democratically elected President whose success makes them irate and irrational.”
Sharice Davids
The exception is Democratic Congresswoman Sharice Davids, who said she supports the impeachment inquiry.
“Congress being compelled to open an impeachment inquiry is nothing to celebrate,” Davids said in a statement. “This is a sad moment for our country, but it is the right thing to do.”
“The reports that the President asked Ukrainian officials to help him investigate a political opponent, if true, represent a clear abuse of power and mean he invited foreign interference into our democracy for his own political gain.
“Not only that, the President and his administration continue to stonewall investigations into this and many other allegations. This continued pattern of corruption threatens the fabric of our democracy and the safety of the American people.
“No one is above the law, not even the President. Our country has laws to protect whistleblowers and to protect the security of our elections, both of which are fundamental to our democracy. ”
–Metro Voice and wire services
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