Sen. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) downplayed the formal impeachment inquiry launched by House Democrats, saying he doesn’t see it ultimately leading to President Trump’s removal from office.
“I just don’t see it going it anywhere,” Burchett, who sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told Hill.TV on Friday.
“If the Democrats had the vote for impeachment, we would’ve called it up weeks ago. They’re just holding out,” he added.
Burchett also argued that the focus on the impeachment inquiry has taken away the focus on other important issues, such as reaching a budget deal. To keep the government open, Congress still needs to approve this fiscal year’s spending bills by the end of the month or approve a short-term stopgap funding measure.
“It’s just kicking the can down the road on the topics that we should really be focusing on, and unfortunately, we don’t have the guts up here — either party — to address those real issues,” he told Hill.TV.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) launched an impeachment inquiry late Tuesday following revelations surrounding the president’s phone call with Ukraine’s president.
The impeachment was sparked by a whistleblower’s complaint, which was declassified and made public on Thursday.
The whistleblower, who was later described by The New York Times as a CIA employee, asserted that Trump used his office to enlist the Ukraine president to help him dig up dirt on Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden.
Though a number of House GOP leaders have launched a vigorous defense of Trump following the release of a whistleblower’s complaint, others have broken with the White House over the president’s communications with Ukraine.
Vermont Gov. Phil Scott (R) on Wednesday became the first Republican governor to come out in support of an impeachment inquiry against Trump.
Retiring Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas), meanwhile, has called for a full investigation into Trump’s actions.
“There is a lot in the whistleblower complaint that is concerning. We need to fully investigate all of the allegations addressed in the letter, and the first step is to talk to the whistleblower,” Hurd tweeted on Thursday.
—Tess Bonn
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