Rep. Ben McAdams finds himself in a political conundrum following Tuesday’s announcement that House Democrats are opening an official impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump. His party may be behind the impeachment drive, but voters in his district may not be.
On Tuesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said House Democrats would open an official impeachment inquiry into President Trump after allegations he withheld military aid to Ukraine to pressure that country into investigating former vice president Joe Biden and his son.
The whole affair began after reports surfaced that a government whistleblower filed a complaint alleging inappropriate actions involving a member of the Trump administration and their interactions with a foreign leader. The White House initially refused to release that complaint to Congress as required by law but reversed course on Tuesday saying they will turn over the report. President Trump also said he would release the transcript of his call with the Ukrainian President.
McAdams said in a statement he is troubled by the allegations against the president but needs more information before he would sign on to any impeachment effort.
“I want to know the facts of what occurred between the president and Ukraine. If the president used his position to pressure a foreign power to dig up dirt on a rival for his gain, it would be deeply troubling. I believe it would be a betrayal of the loyalty owed to our country and the Constitution,” he said.
On Sunday, Sen. Mitt Romney called the allegations against Trump “troubling in the extreme” but wanted a full investigation into the matter.
According to an August Utah Political Trends poll from UtahPolicy.com and Y2 Analytics, 47% of voters in Utah’s 4th Congressional District said they did not favor opening an impeachment inquiry into Trump. 32% said there was enough evidence at that time to begin impeachment, while 17% wanted more investigation into the president.
Those numbers illustrate how difficult this situation is for McAdams. He won his election in 2018 by less than 700 votes and is one of the most vulnerable Democrats in Congress heading into the 2020 election. He risks alienating many of the Republican and independent voters who cast a ballot for him previously, which could imperil his re-election chances. He will need many of those voters to fend off what is expected to be a stiff re-election challenge.
It’s important to note that the poll was taken before the latest allegations about Trump and Ukraine, and they may have shifted since.
The rest of Utah’s federal delegation is mostly opposed to impeachment, which should come as no surprise given their partisan leanings. Rep. Chris Stewart predicted Tuesday that the effort by Democrats would backfire in 2020.
Rep. Rob Bishop accused Democrats of trying to undo an election they lost in 2016.
“Impeachment is the ultimate power Congress has over a president and should be used as a last resort, not for purely political purposes,” said Bishop in a statement. “Since the election of President Trump, some have frantically searched for any justification to nullify the will of the people. They are still at it, and there is not sufficient evidence to justify this approach. The Speaker’s actions today take Congress away from doing things that meet the needs of the people.”
Rep. John Curtis released a statement Tuesday afternoon urging caution as the process moves forward.
“I am closely monitoring the formal inquiry Speaker Pelosi announced today and have the utmost confidence in the investigative tools Congress has at its disposal to help us determine the facts. I am pleased that President Trump will be releasing the transcript of his call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and that Congress will have the opportunity to examine the whistleblower complaint fully and hear from the acting Director of National Intelligence,” said Curtis. “At the same time, I am committed to legislating as well as oversight, both of which are important work that my colleagues and I have been sent to Washington to do. I will continue to advocate for full transparency while also working to pass laws that are good for Utah’s third Congressional district.”
“The Senate unanimously passed a resolution today calling for the whistleblower complaint to be turned over to the intelligence committees. Sen. Lee looks forward to learning the facts of the allegation in the coming weeks,” said Sen. Mike Lee in an email statement to UtahPolicy.com.
