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The South Florida Roundup

South Florida Politicos Weigh In On Presidential Impeachment Inquiry

Miami Herald
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz represents parts of Broward and Dade counties and is one of several South Florida lawmakers who called for an impeachment inquiry.

Until this week, most Florida Democrats were circumspect about calling for the impeachment of President Donald Trump.

For some, the release of the Mueller report on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and accusations that Trump obstructed justice in that investigation were more than enough. Still, some Florida Democrats largely avoided the word "impeachment."

Things changed this week. House Democrats are calling for a formal impeachment inquiry into the president's actions after the White House released a transcriptof a phone call between Trump and the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

South Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz sits on the House Oversight Committee, which is reviewing  allegations against the president. She spoke with host Christine DiMattei on the South Florida Roundup. Nelson Diaz, chairman of the Miami-Dade Republican Party, also joined the show.

Here's an excerpt of their conversation:

REP. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: What was critical for me was that the president engaged in what I am confident is unlawful conduct to shake down, hold over the head of a president of a foreign country vital assistance that Ukraine needs, particularly to keep Russia at bay, which directly involves our national security interests. All in the name of trying to go after one of his main political rivals in the presidential election. It's an abuse of power for personal gain.

And so for me, once you had conduct that directly implicated the president where he appears to have been committing high crimes and misdemeanors – which is the definition of impeachable offenses – that took this in an entirely different direction.

NELSON DIAZ: For an impeachment proceeding that has zero chance of passing in the Senate, that's really nothing more than a political stunt by the Democratic Party to rile up their base. And I think it's wrong. I think they're wasting taxpayer dollars; they are wasting time on an issue that is not going to happen. I think the media in this country has determined that the president is guilty of something – when in reality this was a whistleblower complaint.

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Alexander Gonzalez produces the afternoon newscasts airing during All Things Considered. He enjoys helping tell the South Florida story through audio and digital platforms. Alex is interested in a little of everything from business to culture to politics.
Christine DiMattei is WLRN's Morning Edition anchor and also reports on Arts & Culture.