Statement: Rep. Denny Heck Supports an Impeachment Inquiry

Statement

Congressman Denny Heck (WA-10) released the following statement, announcing his support for a formal impeachment inquiry:

"For many months multiple committees of the House have been engaged in investigations both of potentially illegal acts by President Trump related to Russia's "sweeping and systematic" interference in the 2016 election and of the President's response to investigations into that interference.

"As a member of the House Intelligence Committee, I've been deeply involved in that effort. I've sat through hundreds of hours of closed and open testimony, read and reread the findings of the Office of the Special Counsel (the Mueller Report), and spoken with and listened to the people of the Tenth Congressional District.

"In last week's hearings, I also had the opportunity to hear directly from Special Counsel Mueller and, along with my colleagues, to personally engage him in questions. After considerable reflection and prayerful consideration, I've reached some conclusions.

"First, there is no question that the President encouraged, welcomed and benefited from the interference of a foreign adversary in our 2016 election. Furthermore, he has both refused to fully acknowledge it occurred and even suggested he might welcome such interference again. The White House has also opposed Congressional measures to enhance election security going forward. This strikes at the very core of our democracy and democratic values. America's elections are for Americans. Period. Support of free, fair and open elections is not negotiable.

"The President has also engaged in an aggressive and active cover-up of the effort to reveal all the facts. This is particularly true of the many ways in which potential financial conflicts or motivations may have guided the Trump campaign or several of its high-ranking officials. This was the essence of my exchange with Special Counsel Mueller during the hearing last week. Americans deserve to know the full extent of the facts. Officially initiating an impeachment inquiry substantially strengthens the legal hand of the House to discover all information.

"I am familiar with the political arguments against initiating an impeachment inquiry based on the findings to date. For example, some suggest that the Senate is highly unlikely to convict the President should the House impeach him and that his chances of reelection will therefore be enhanced. That may be true. What is truer is that nothing less than the rule of law is at stake.

"Accordingly, I support initiation of an impeachment inquiry by the House Judiciary Committee and will support measures to accomplish this when Congress returns to Washington, D.C."

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