Local Virginia lawmakers react to impeachment inquiry

Nancy Pelosi announced intention to move forward with articles of impeachment Thursday morning

WASHINGTON, D.C. – After weeks of impeachment hearings and testimony in the House of Representatives regarding President Trump, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi announced she will proceed with articles of impeachment against Trump.

“The President leaves us no choice but to act,” Pelosi said while announcing her decision.

Both Sen. Mark Warner (D) and Rep. Ben Cline (R) reacted to the news.

Warner said he will not prejudge President Trump’s innocence before impeachment proceedings, but does want to hear more from the President’s allies about his actions in Ukraine.

“I do think it’s a little strange how the President, who claims his innocence, is unwilling to have some of the folks who know the facts testify under oath,” Warner said.

Cline, who serves on the House Judiciary Committee, says he has seen no proof of impeachable offenses from the President during his hearings.

“We have to look in the Judiciary Committee to the law to find out whether this is truly worth pursuing, and in my view, it has not reached that point,” Cline said. “For [Pelosi] to jump the gun by announcing she’s drafting articles really puts the cart before the horse and really shows how partisan this process has become.”

The House of Representatives will likely vote soon on the articles of impeachment. If they are approved, the impeachment process will move to the Senate for a trial.