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Iowa Democratic House Members Support Impeachment Inquiry of President Trump

John Pemble/Clay Masters
/
Iowa Public Radio
Iowa's four members of the U.S. House. (left to right: Congresswoman Cindy Axne (D-West Des Moines), Congresswoman Abby Finkenauer (D-Dubuque), Congressman Dave Loebsack (D-Iowa City) and Congressman Steve King (R-Kiron).

Iowa’s three Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives support the move to begin an impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump. 
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi launched a formal impeachment inquiryTuesday against President Trump.

Congressman Dave Loebsack of Iowa City said in a statementthat it is "unfortunate that we have ended up at this point."

“I have felt the need to proceed judiciously given the high constitutional requirements of impeachment, but President Trump’s actions and obstruction require this step of establishing an impeachment inquiry,” Loebsack said in a written statement. “The American people deserve the full truth and it has reached the point where there is no other way to get the necessary information and an impeachment inquiry is justified.”

“For the sake of our national security and our democracy, these serious allegations require independent Congressional investigation unobstructed by this Administration,” Congresswoman Cindy Axne of West Des Moines said in a statement. “Congress has a responsibility to uphold the rule of law and to take appropriate steps to open an impeachment inquiry.”

“The impeachment inquiry requested today is needed to continue that work,” Congresswoman Abby Finkenauer of Dubuque said in her statement. “It’s imperative we stand up for our country and hold those accountable who hurt our democracy.”

Meanwhile, Iowa’s sole Republican Congressman Steve King of Kiron opposes the impeachment inquiry.

“This is a stunning and astonishing thing for a Speaker to do, who has been resistant to this idea for a long time,” Congressman King said in avideo statement. “It looks to me now like the hard-core leftists, those activists, the Quad Squad, have taken over the agenda of the Democratic caucus in the House of Representatives.”

Iowa’s U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, both Republicans, are also against the impeachment inquiry.

Clay Masters is the senior politics reporter for MPR News.