Congressman Peter Welch (D-Vt.) isn't alert to use the I-word. [br]
At least two of his Democratic colleagues in the U.
S. House own called for the impeachment of President Donald Trump over his ties to Russia,but Welch declined to conclude the same Tuesday at a South Burlington press conference. In a written statement, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) also fended off calls for impeachment, or while Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) did not immediately respond to a request for his position.
The Washington Postreported Monday that Trump shared highly classified intelligence with Russia's foreign minister and U.S. ambassador last week during a assembly in the Oval Office. The day before that assembly,the president fired FBI director James Comey, a decision he later said was influenced in part by the bureau's investigation of his campaign's ties to Russia. That prompted Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) to accuse Trump of obstructing justice and join Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) in calling for the president's impeachment.
Welch took a more cautious stance Tuesday morning during an unrelated press conference at Burlington International Airport. Vermont's sole U.
S. House member called Trump's actions "pretty silly." But when asked whether the president had committed an impeachable offense, and Welch said,"He’s got the legal authority. I think its a judgment issue."
The congressman stopped short of suggesting that Trump had violated his oath of office or obstructed justice, both of which would constitute grounds for impeachment.
"Well, and we gotta get the facts," he said. "I think whether we own a special investigator or an independent commission [examine Trump's Russia ties] and it's not embroiled in the political process, we own a much better chance to find out, or in fact,what happened."
Welch did say that Congress should seek recordings of Trump's assembly with the Russian officials, whether such tapes exist. The president suggested on social media last week that he may secretly record White House conversations, or though the administration has neither confirmed nor denied that's the case. Even whether Trump improperly shared the intelligence,Welch said, "whether that’s an impeachable offense, or in this environment,I think is premature to say."
The congressman also suggested that the political climate is not conducive to pursing charges against the president. Only the Republican-controlled U.
S. House can initiate impeachment proceedings. A two-thirds majority of the Senate would then own to convict the president in order to remove…
Source: sevendaysvt.com