WASHINGTON — The views of the Democratic caucus shifted dramatically Tuesday, as the party pushed forward with a formal impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump.
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"Enough is enough, it’s time,” said Rep. Charlie Crist (D-13th District).
Pressure for impeachment hit a tipping point on Capitol Hill, as the President faces serious questions amid reports that he withheld foreign aid from Ukraine before pressing that country’s president to investigate political rival, Joe Biden.
“The President thinks he’s untouchable, invincible and above the law,” said Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-22nd District).
Changing course
Wasserman, who earlier in the day was hesitant about moving forward with the impeachment process, ultimately got on board by the time the House Speaker addressed the press on Tuesday. Other lawmakers who had previously been wavering also formally announced their decisions.
“President Trump has breached the public trust. He is acting in his own self-interest. Not in the interest of the American people,” said Rep. Kathy Castor D-14th District).
Both Reps. Castor and Crist were among a wave of new House Democrats who announced their support in recent days.
“There comes a point, especially as a former attorney general, where the rule of law has to be respected. We are at that point,” Crist said. "It seems the only effective way that the Congress can find out what the Congress did or did not do is to have the impeachment inquiry go forward."
After months of resisting a rush to impeachment, Speaker Nancy Pelosi rapidly changed course as lawmakers one by one signaled they were ready to file formal charges against the President.
”These are allegations of treason, so you can see it’s really started to heat up,” said Rep. Darren Soto (D-9th District).
The revelations reinforced the positions of those who had already come out in favor of beginning the impeachment process, like Rep. Soto who had announced his decision over the August district work period.
“I obviously shifted after hearing from constituents after the district break," Soto said. "However, this is much more crystallized and it just happened."
"History will be judging us"
Whether or not there’s enough support in the upper chamber for impeaching the President is not a concern that’s weighing on these lawmakers.
“History will be judging us and this is a new level of lawlessness by the President,” Soto said.
Ultimately, they believe the American people will support the endeavor.
“There is a cry for justice throughout the country right now,” Crist said. “I could tell you the calls we are getting in our office, it’s voluminous. I understand it and I’m sympathetic to it."
The six chairman leading investigations into the President and his administration are expected to continue under the powerful new umbrella of an impeachment inquiry. The Judiciary Committee is expected to lead that effort, with the goal of completing the process before 2020.
The Florida delegation in the upper chamber is not on board with the inquiry. Senator Rick Scott (R-Florida) believes the facts are not clear at this time.
“Step one, let’s get the facts," Scott said. "Everybody wants to jump here or jump there depending on what party you are. The reality is to do is put the facts out. Then, we can all make a decision, a logical decision."
"One thing that would be helpful. We ought to get all the facts of whatever Trump said. But, also do the same thing with Biden,” he added.
The White House is preparing to release the whistleblower complaint and the Inspector General report to Congress by the end of the week.