09.24.19

Durbin Calls For House To Begin Impeachment Inquiry Into President Trump

WASHINGTON – In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on Congressional Republicans to speak out against reports that President Donald Trump withheld $250 million in military aid from Ukraine unless the newly-elected Ukrainian president investigated one of President Trump’s potential opponents, former Vice President Joe Biden.  Durbin also called for the whistleblower complaint to be provided to the appropriate House and Senate committees.  Given this information, Durbin has called for the House of Representatives to begin a formal impeachment inquiry of President Trump.

“If this President of the United States can attempt to extort a foreign leader to withhold security funds that were to be given by the United States to this country in order to pursue and promote his own political agenda, we have reached a new low in the United States,” Durbin said.  “The whistleblower’s claim needs to be released to the appropriate congressional committees and evaluated according to the law, and Congressional Republicans – House and Senate – need to make it clear, once and for all, that no President can solicit or strong-arm a foreign country to further his own campaign.”

Video of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor are available here.

Audio of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here.

Footage of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here for TV Stations.

On September 12, Durbin, Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, offered an amendment in the Senate Appropriations Committee to the Fiscal Year 2020 Department of Defense Appropriations Act requiring the Trump Administration to spend the additional aid to Ukraine that Congress approved in that funding bill.  Because of Durbin’s amendment, the White House released its hold on $250 million that Congress had appropriated in Fiscal Year 2019 to support Ukraine the night before the committee markup.  

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