Pallone calls for Trump's impeachment

Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) announced on Tuesday that he supports impeachment against President Donald J. Trump, as Trump faces scrutiny over a phone call with Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky, where he asked him to investigate presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son over accusations that Biden’s son committed wrongdoing while on the board of a Ukrainian company.

“The president has done more than enough to meet the legal standards to justify impeachment,” Pallone said in a press release. “It’s time for Congress to exercise its constitutional authority and impeach the president in order to protect the rule of law and our democracy. I will continue to uphold my responsibility to govern and carry out my legislative agenda, but no one — not even the president of the United States — is above the law.”

Pallone’s support for impeachment is a reversal from statements he made back in June. Frustrated with the president's disregard for Congressional subpoenas at the time, he said he opposed impeachment.

“Impeachment doesn't seem like much of an option either because the Senate would never take it up and have a trial,” Pallone said in an interview with NJTV. “There’s only one Republican in the House who has been arguing for impeachment and Senate you would need two thirds (to convict).”

Pallone joins 10 other New Jersey representatives and 213 other House Democrats demanding an impeachment inquiry. While some New Jersey representatives have supported impeachment as early as July, others have voiced support only in the past few days due to the new Ukraine allegations.

Only two New Jersey representatives have not announced support for an impeachment inquiry. Rep. Christopher Smith (R-4), like many of his other Republican colleagues in the House, has not commented on the issue. Rep. Jeff Van Drew (D-2) remains opposed to impeachment, although he conceded that his mind could change, according to the Press of Atlantic City.

“As we move forward, if we have clear evidence of impeachable offenses, if the president said, ‘You must investigate Biden’s son and if you don't I will not help you with your defense,’ then it’s an issue we have got to look at,” Van Drew said to the Press of Atlantic City. “If something else comes up that is really clear high crimes and misdemeanors it will be so bad the majority of times you are going to have bipartisan support (for impeachment).”

Calls for Trump's impeachment escalated on Tuesday as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced a formal impeachment inquiry against the president. Trump is accused of asking newly elected Zelensky to investigate Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, for corruption in Ukraine. An investigation would likely be damaging to Biden's presidential campaign, according to an article on USA Today.

As vice president, Joe Biden encouraged Ukraine to fire its top prosecutor on the grounds of corruption. But Trump, has insisted, without evidence, that Joe Biden pushed for the prosecutor's firing to protect his son from investigation, as he was on the board of a Ukranian energy company at the time, according to the article.

Trump has discredited investigations into him, calling it a “witch hunt” and hoax by the media, which is rhetoric reminiscent of the Russian Robert Mueller investigation against Trump. 

“It’s a joke,” he said when asked about the investigation and his phone call with the Zelensky. “Impeachment for that?”