WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum is the first member of Minnesota's congressional delegation to call for President Donald Trump's impeachment.
"We're in this position because of President Trump," said McCollum, who signed on as a Democratic cosponsor to articles of impeachment on Monday. "He is the one undermining justice by trying to obstruct it. … He's had a year to change his behavior. He's had a year to release his taxes. He's had a year to prove to members of Congress that he takes his constitutional responsibilities seriously."
Several impeachment resolutions have been introduced in the House over the past year, largely as symbolic gestures of protest. McCollum signed on as the ninth cosponsor to a resolution drafted by Tennessee Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen that accuses the president of obstructing justice and attempting to use his office to enrich himself.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
Cohen's bill accuses the president of interfering with FBI and Justice Department investigations into possible Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, as well as violations of the Constitution's emoluments clause.
Impeaching a president requires a majority of the House. Removing a president from office would take a vote of two-thirds of the Senate — an unlikely scenario with a Republican president and Republican majorities in Congress. An impeachment resolution that made it to the House floor last year garnered just 58 votes — including Minnesota Democrats McCollum and Reps. Keith Ellison and Tim Walz — before the majority set it aside.
Some congressional Democrats have threatened to boycott Tuesday's State of the Union address, but McCollum said the annual presidential address to Congress is a tradition that she plans to attend, even as she wears her disapproval of the president on her sleeve.
"I'm going to be wearing black, in solidarity with the women who came forward and spoke about the inappropriate and aggressive behavior Mr. Trump displayed to them," McCollum said. "I can't anticipate that I'll be cheering him on at any point."
Jennifer Brooks • 202-662-7452
