Letter to Republican Members of the U.S. House of Representatives - Letter to Congressional Republicans

Letter

Dear Colleagues:

I am writing to implore you to support the impeachment inquiry that has begun in the House of Representatives. Put another way, I'm writing to implore you to put country over party.

As a former Member of the House, I know well the political pressures you are currently under and I also know well the overly partisan nature of that institution in which you currently serve. It can be very difficult, at times almost impossible, to contemplate what's best for the country instead of what's best for your side of the aisle. But I'm asking you to do that at this time because we have clear evidence of the very abuse of power that our Founders feared.

President Trump told a foreign leader to dig up dirt on his political opponent. This can't be acceptable to any Member of Congress--Republican, Democrat, or Independent.

Per the now-released transcript of the July 25th phone call between President Trump and the Ukrainian President Zelensky, after Zelensky brought up his need for US military aid, Trump asked for a favor. He asked Zelensky to look into a now-debunked conspiracy theory of Ukrainian interference in our 2016 election, and he also asked Zelensky to look into the involvement of Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden with a Ukrainian gas company.

The President of the United States specifically asked the President of Ukraine to investigate the Bidens. More specifically, he asked a foreign leader to dig up dirt on the Bidens, knowing full well that Joe Biden could become the Democrat nominee for president. In other words, Donald Trump asked a foreign leader to interfere in our 2020 election.

No matter where you stand on what happened in 2016, no matter where you stand politically, no matter what you think about the Bidens--none of that should matter in the face of what President Trump did. He colluded with a foreign leader to impact the 2020 election. He used the powers of his office to benefit himself personally and politically. I believe it's clear from the call that there was a quid pro quo, that President Trump made US taxpayer-funded military aid contingent upon a political favor, but even if you don't believe that, what can't be doubted is that the President of the United States was caught asking a foreign government to interfere in our electoral process.

This is wrong, it's an abuse of power, it's impeachable, and it's what our Founders feared. More than anything, our Founders feared a President compromised by and in cahoots with foreign influences. It's one of the chief reasons they included the articles of impeachment.

This act must be investigated, thoroughly and expeditiously. It is such a serious potential abuse of power, that the investigation must be supported in a bi-partisan fashion. For the sake of the American people, I'm asking you therefore, to not be Republicans here, but to be Americans. As Americans, we can't condone this type of abuse of power from our President.

Please, my friends, speak out in support of this impeachment inquiry. Speak out in support of getting to the bottom of this. Join the Democrats on this one--because it's the right thing to do. There is no disputing that President Trump asked Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden. As Members of Congress, you must condemn that. President Trump is also defying the law and threatening the whistleblower. You must condemn that. If it's proven that military aid was held up in order to benefit President Trump politically, you must condemn that. And if it's proven that any of this activity was covered up, you must condemn that.

I know this isn't easy. And yes, by upholding your oath and speaking up for what you know is right, you may take a short term political hit. I can attest to that. It will still be right.

The extreme abuse of office by this president is not hypothetical. The president himself has already admitted to asking the Ukrainian president to investigate the Bidens. And, literally since I began to draft this letter to you, our president called on China to begin investigating the Bidens, despite the news of impeachment inquiry.

I don't think we need any more evidence than this. Do you?

It's time to put country over party. So do what's right: Support this impeachment inquiry, and join the Democrats in getting these answers for the American people. History will not look kindly upon those who stay silent now.

Join me, your former colleague, and support this inquiry. Adhere to your oath to protect the Constitution. Be an American first, a Republican second.

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