U.S. Rep. Marcia Fudge, of Ohio's 11th congressional district, made her feelings on President Donald Trump even more clear on Tuesday, reading a letter on the House floor from a constituent denouncing the President's supporters and calling for his impeachment.
Fudge read the letter, written by Pastor Dr. C. Ronald S. Williams II of Mount Zion Fellowship in Highland Hills, during the special morning session in the House. She even went over her allotted time of five minutes to finish what had been written.
The letter called Trump "a mobster, a conman," and "a gangster," and also attacked many of his supporters as "racist, steeped in religious beliefs, ignorant, or—as my mother used to say—just plain dumb."
"They support a president who has a proven record of being sexually condescending to women, will not oppose the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan, is indecisive, condescending to anyone who challenges him, and hides behind his Twitter account rather than dealing with the real issues in our country and around the world," Fudge read. "And to put icing on this cake, he is a proven liar."
Fudge was one of the earliest House Democrats to call for the president's impeachment, doing so in November of 2017. She and others have since been joined by dozens more, especially since the release of special counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russian interference in the 2016 election that did not specifically exonerate Trump of obstruction of justice.
While more than 50 House Democrats (including fellow Ohio U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, who is also running for president) have called for impeachment, only one Republican—Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan—has joined them, and so far Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has refused to open up such an inquiry. Her hesitance has brought substantial criticism from some corners of the party, and was present in the letter Fudge read Tuesday.
"Nancy Pelosi is a woman who I respect," Dr. Williams wrote. "However, I do believe her hesitancy to impeach this president is her opinion based on polls and her belief that it would further polarize the country. However, the country is already divided and polarized..."
Fudge and Pelosi's relationship has been somewhat tense over the past year, especially amid rumors that Fudge would challenge Pelosi for the speakership after the Democrats took back control of the House. However, following reports of her close relationship with former Cuyahoga County judge and now-accused murderer Lance Mason, Fudge announced she would not seek the position, and was instead named chairwoman of a revived elections subcommittee by Pelosi.
