CLEVELAND — On Tuesday, Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that the U.S. House of Representatives will move forward with an impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump, claiming he "seriously violated the Constitution."
The president is alleged to have pressured the Ukrainian government to investigate Former Vice President Joe Biden—the current front runner for the Democratic presidential nomination—and his son Hunter. Democrats and others have cited this as a blatant abuse of power by Trump.
Pelosi had long resisted calls for an impeachment inquiry before today's announcement, which is now bringing in a slew of reactions from across the political spectrum.
In Ohio, Republican U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (who at one time disavowed the president before pledging his support) called the inquiry a "distraction" and urged lawmakers to instead focus on "bipartisan legislative work."
13th district U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan—who is also running for president—has been calling for Trump's impeachment for months. He repeated those calls today, calling the president "a mobster."
GOP Rep. Jim Jordan from the 4th district—one of President Trump's biggest supporters—accused Democrats playing politics, saying, "It is all about undoing the 2016 election and the will of the American people."
6th district Rep. Bill Johnson (R) called the inquiry "another dead end," adding, "Here we go again!"
Republican Rep. Bob Gibbs, of the 7th district, issued the following statement critical of the inquiry:
"In their obsession to nullify the will of the people and overturn the 2016 election, Nancy Pelosi and Congressional Democrats have become experts at coming to conclusions before all the facts come out. It’s clear the extremists of the Democratic Party are driving an agenda of obstruction and will grasp at anything. The Mueller Report blew up in their faces, the Cohen and Lewandowski hearings didn’t work out for them. This is just another in a long list of fake controversies they want to focus on rather than propose solutions to the real issues that actually matter to the American people."
For the first time, longtime Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur of the 9th district voiced her support for impeachment:
"Like so many Americans, I’m disgusted by President Trump’s repeated betrayal of American interests in favor of Vladimir Putin’s. This President’s efforts to coerce Ukrainian President Zelensky—an allied leader—into helping him win reelection by using congressionally supported military aid as leverage is not only a dramatic betrayal of the President’s Oath of Office, it’s also the latest example of Trump doing Putin’s bidding.
"Now, I am fairly certain President Trump’s relationship with Vladimir Putin didn’t start with his veiled support for Putin’s election meddling, or inviting the Russians to hack the DNC, or even lobbying for Russia to be readmitted to the G7. But this I know for sure, his efforts to betray the freedom loving people of a beleaguered Ukraine to advance his political fortunes is more than the American people are prepared to endure.
"Who benefits when Ukraine loses military assistance? Russia: the country whose waged a bloody war in Ukraine for over 5 years, leaving 13,000 dead and 30,000 injured. Who’s to say Putin wasn’t listening in when Trump blackmailed Zelensky?
"No member of Congress has traveled to Ukraine as many times as I, even long before the Berlin Wall fell. Trump cannot be allowed to break the laws of our county with impunity. The American people have looked on in horror as he has engaged in unprecedented levels of corruption and self-dealing.
"If President Trump and his administration fail to comply with legitimate Congressional inquiries, then there is no other option than for this House to stand with our American allies and move forward with impeachment."
Democratic 11th district Rep. Marcia L. Fudge, who along with Ryan had been the only Ohio federal lawmaker to call for Trump to be impeached, issued this statement:
"Finally, Members of the Congress have seen enough. Not only have the laws we have sworn to uphold been ignored by this President, he has now openly interfered with our elections by seeking help from a foreign government. It is an assault on our democracy and sovereignty, and stands in total opposition to his mantra of 'America First.'"
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This story will be updated as more official statements come in.