WASHINGTON DC – Only two Democrat Congress members from Illinois are holding out from the US House Democrat effort to launch an impeachment investigation of President Donald Trump.
This week, 11th CD's Bill Foster and 8th CD's Raja Krishnamoorthi joined the other nine Democrats from Illinois that signed on earlier. The last two Democrats that have yet to sign on are the 3rd CD's Dan Lipinski and 17th CD's Cheri Bustos.
"I have watched with horror as President Trump has perpetrated an assault on American values," Foster said in a statement. "In word and deed, President Trump has demonstrated an utter disregard for the rule of law and the fundamental principles that make up the foundation of our democracy."
Krishnamoorthi agreed.
"We have now come to a point where we must engage in an investigation to not only expose wrongdoing and prevent it from happening again, but also to determine whether the current President engaged in behavior meriting the beginning of impeachment proceedings," Krishnamoorthi said in a statement. "I come to this conclusion with a heavy heart, and it is not a conclusion I relish or desire, but if the 'rule of law' is to have any meaning in this country, it is the only appropriate course of action."
None of Illinois' five Republican Congress members are encouraging such an investigation.
One Republican candidate – Theresa Raborn – that would like to oust 2nd CD incumbent Democrat Robin Kelly said the Democrats care more about attacking "our duly elected president than they care about the American people they are supposed to serve."
"What a waste of money that could be going to fixing K-12 education (abysmal failure, especially in Illinois), healthcare, immigration, criminal justice, social security, Medicare, etc! I'm fighting for THE PEOPLE, which the Democrats ignore!" she wrote on her "RabornforCongress" Facebook page.
Democrat Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has been steadfast in her opposition to an impeachment inquiry, suggesting heading in that direction could negatively affect the 2020 election.