What Do OC Congressmembers Think of Impeachment?

Though people started calling for the impeachment of President Donald Trump before he had even taken office in early 2017, it’s really being talked up these days.

On Wednesday, May 29, Special Counsel Robert Mueller said that, “if we had confidence that the president did not clearly commit a crime, we would have said so,” which turned up the heat on possible impeachment to blowtorch levels. But even if you didn’t find his exhaustive report on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election to be compelling, there’s also the question of emoluments–payments Trump has been allegedly accepting from foreign governments, which are specifically banned in the U.S. Constitution. Or there’s his ordering administration officials to ignore Congressional subpoenas. And there’s also the general state of the president’s mental health. As far as impeachment is concerned, there’s a whole buffet of reasons to consider.

Still, many Democrats (who control the House of Representatives, which has the Constitutionally mandated role of starting any impeachment process) seem nervous, even scared of trying to toss Trump out of office. Given this, we decided to poll the Orange County representatives on a simple question: Do they support the House of Representatives starting an impeachment process against President Trump?

Here are their answers, which range from silence to a resounding yes:

LINDA SANCHEZ (D, 38th District): No response to two emails and a phone call.

GIL CISNEROS (D, 39th District): No response to two emails and a phone call.

KATIE PORTER (D, 45th District): No response to two emails and a phone call.

LOU CORREA (D, 46th District): “No one is above the law. Not Congress. Not the President.

“Special Counsel Mueller’s solidified what we already knew—Russia interfered with the 2016 Presidential election deliberately and with malice, and he in no way exonerated the President.

“Special Counsel Mueller clearly stated, ‘If we had confidence that the President clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said so.’ Muller further noted that his decision not to indict stemmed from the Department of Justice’s policy that a sitting President cannot be indicted.

“Despite the Department of Justice policy, no one is above the law. Congress holds a sacred constitutional responsibility to conduct oversight of the Executive Branch and hold the President accountable for his abuse of power.

“I want to thank Special Counsel Robert Mueller and his team for your hard work over the last two years. They provided Congress with the roadmap necessary to move forward. Congress will not be deterred from our constitutional responsibility. We will continue to investigate and legislate to protect our elections, secure our democracy, and hold our elected leaders accountable. The American people deserve nothing less.”

ALAN LOWENTHAL (D, 47th District): “Special Counsel Mueller’s statement yesterday highlighted what was clear in his report. Our democracy was attacked by a foreign power, and there is evidence that the president obstructed justice. Congress must hold him accountable. I believe that the time has come to consider an impeachment inquiry.”

HARLEY ROUDA (D, 48th District): “Congressman Rouda believes that if the Trump Administration continues to direct non-compliance with constitutionally sanctioned subpoenas from Congress, then it would be appropriate for Congress to open an impeachment inquiry,” said Zach Helder, Rouda’s communications director. “The congressman did not come to Congress to impeach–he wanted to lower healthcare costs.”

MIKE LEVIN (D, 49th District): “Special Counsel Mueller made it clear that the President has not been exonerated. In fact, there is substantial evidence that the President sought to obstruct justice. Congress has a responsibility to uphold and defend the constitution, and that’s exactly what we will do.”