WASHINGTON _ House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced Tuesday that she is launching a formal impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, lawmakers said.
The announcement follows a flood of calls for impeachment from Democrats following reports that Trump sought Ukraine's help in discrediting Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden.
Pelosi, D-Calif., is expected to ask six committee chairs investigating Trump to compile their best impeachment evidence and share it with the House Judiciary Committee. Democratic lawmakers leaving a weekly caucus meeting confirmed the plan to McClatchy.
"The actions of the Trump presidency reveal the dishonorable fact of his betrayal of his oath of office, betrayal of our national security and betrayal of the integrity of our elections," Pelosi said. "Therefore, today, I'm announcing the House of Representatives is moving forward with an impeachment inquiry."
Pelosi for months had declined to proceed with an impeachment inquiry against Trump despite demands from more liberal members of her party to investigate the president. She waited for former special counsel Robert Mueller III's report on Russian interference in the 2016 election, and did not call for impeachment after he issued his findings.
"We can't go there until we have the facts," she told reporters a week ago.
But by Tuesday, a majority of Democrats had issued public statements favoring an impeachment inquiry or vote.
The calls follow a whistleblower's report made to Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson over Trump's communications with a foreign leader.
Congress still does not know the exact contents of the complaint or who the whistleblower is. Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire has refused to share the complaint, contrary to federal law.
The inspector general found the complaint "credible" and "urgent," according to a letter to Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif. But the general counsel for Maguire's office said it had consulted with the Justice Department and determined the complaint did not rise to the level of an "urgent concern" requiring congressional notification.
Subsequent reporting has said the complaint centered on a July phone call, when Trump asked the president of Ukraine to investigate the son of former Vice President Biden, according to reporting by The Wall Street Journal. Trump has said the call included discussions about the Biden family, but he's maintained he did not do anything improper.
Trump said Tuesday he plans to release the full, unredacted transcript of his call with the Ukraine president on Wednesday, but not the whistleblower complaint. Democrats have said the transcript is not enough, and they want to see the complaint, which reportedly details issues with more than one call and other acts that provide context.
The whistleblower, through an attorney, has indicated he or she wants to testify before the House Intelligence Committee, according to Schiff, and is seeking advice from Maguire on how to do so.
The White House downplayed Democrats' moves toward impeachment.
"The Democrats continue to weaponize politics when they should be working on behalf of their constituents, which is nothing new," said White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham. "President Trump is working hard on behalf of our country here in New York City while they continue to scream the word impeachment. Nothing new here."
After Pelosi's announcement, Trump on Twitter wrote, "PRESIDENTIAL HARASSMENT!"
Pelosi has been reluctant to pursue impeachment proceedings, with House leadership ostensibly trying to protect more moderate members _ and their majority _ in 2020.
By Tuesday, a majority of California Democrats and all seven freshmen Democrats who defeated Republican incumbents in last year's midterm election had issued public statements favoring an impeachment inquiry or vote.
One of the last California Democrats to issue a call for an impeachment vote was Rep. Josh Harder, D-Turlock. He represents a moderate district in the San Joaquin Valley that previously was held by Republican Rep. Jeff Denham.
Until the whistleblower report, Harder had declined to call for an impeachment vote.
"Last week, we found out that the president himself may have put our national security at risk, invited another foreign government to interfere in our election, and used American tax dollars to further his own political agenda," said Harder said. "Anyone willing to sacrifice the national security interests of the United States for their own benefit is unfit to be president. If these allegations are true, it's time for the House to open impeachment proceedings."
Rep. Ami Bera, D-Sacramento, on Tuesday also issued a call for an impeachment inquiry just before Pelosi. Bera, like Harder, represents a moderate district and draws Republican challengers.
"After reading the Mueller Report and witnessing the President's actions, it has been clear to me that President Trump has committed impeachable offenses and went to great lengths to commit obstruction of justice on several occasions," Bera said.
Rep. John Garamendi, D-Fairfield, is traveling to Ukraine this weekend, a trip that initially was planned to discuss U.S. military aid to the Eastern European country. The Democratic congressman now intends to meet with officials to discuss the president's alleged comments about Biden while he's there.
All seven California freshmen Democrats who won Republican-held seats in 2018 now support an impeachment inquiry or vote. Rep. TJ Cox, D-Fresno, was the last to declare his support, following Pelosi's announcement Tuesday.
"I didn't come to Washington to impeach a president, I came here to do everything in my power to give Central Valley's working families a hand up and grow our local economy for generations to come. I've worked every day to keep that promise," Cox said. "But when the President of the United States is putting his personal and political interests ahead of the American people and abusing the Constitution, we have a duty to investigate and follow the facts where they lead"
But impeachment would still have an uphill battle _ the House only needs a majority vote to impeach, but then it's sent to the Senate, which needs a two-thirds majority in order to approve impeachment. Republicans hold a majority in the Senate, and no Senate Republicans have publicly supported impeachment.
