Engel wants Trump to face impeachment

More than a majority of the Democrats in the U.S. House are calling on Speaker Nancy Pelosi to begin impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump, and U.S. Rep. Eliot Engel is now part of that majority.

“The president abused the power of his office in an effort to stymie a legitimate investigation into his campaign’s involvement with Russia,” Engel said in a statement, referring to the investigation conducted by special counsel Robert Mueller.

“Mr. Mueller chose to follow Justice Department guidance that a sitting president can’t be indicted. The Constitution empowers Congress with checks and balances to address high crimes and misdemeanors by a sitting president.

“The American people want, and deserve, the truth. Mr. Mueller’s testimony provided ample evidence that the president committed obstruction of justice, and I believe the House must pursue a formal impeachment inquiry.”

Pelosi has resisted attempts to begin impeachment proceedings. If the U.S. House successfully passes articles of impeachment, Trump would become only the third president to face a trial in the Senate following Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton in 1998.

Both Johnson and Clinton were acquitted in their Senate trials, and some political observers believe the same result would come from a Trump impeachment in front of a Republican-controlled Senate.

That doesn’t seem to be slowing Engel and other Democrats.

“Questions about the abuses and corruption of this administration require Congress to press ahead with its investigations to follow the facts where they lead us.

“The president’s repeated abuses have brought American democracy to a perilous crossroads. Following the guidance of the Constitution ... is the only way to achieve justice.”