Rep. Pallone Said He Supports Impeaching Trump

MATAWAN, NJ — About one hour before House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced Tuesday she was launching a formal inquiry into impeaching President Donald Trump, Congressman Frank Pallone (D-NJ6) issued a statement saying the president should be impeached.

Pallone is a Democratic congressman who has represented New Jersey's Sixth Congressional district since 1998. "NJ 6" stretches from Carteret and Woodbridge into Edison, New Brunswick and down to Asbury Park. It hugs the Bayshore coastline, including towns such as Aberdeen, Matawan, Hazlet, Sea Bright and West Long Branch.

Pallone has long been a vocal critic against Trump. He issued his call for impeachment one hour before Pelosi announced her formal investigation.

"The president has done more than enough to meet the legal standards to justify impeachment," said Pallone in a statement released Tuesday afternoon. "It’s time for Congress to exercise its constitutional authority and impeach the president in order to protect the rule of law and our democracy."

Trump is accused of offering $250 million in stalled military aid to the president of Ukraine, under the condition that the country launches a probe into Biden and his family. Trump has denied the accusation, the Washington Post reported.

If the allegations are true, many Democratic members of Congress say Trump's actions amount to "an impeachable offense." No House Republicans said he should be impeached.

“For months, the President of the United States has failed to respect the authority endowed to Congress by the Constitution. He has directed members of his administration and former campaign officials to show contempt for Congressional subpoenas and investigations. The reports of a whistleblower complaint clearly call into question the oath the president took to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States above political, financial and personal gain," Pallone continued. "I will continue to uphold my responsibility to govern and carry out my legislative agenda, but no one — not even the President of the United States — is above the law.”

New Jersey's sixth congressional district is a part of Central Jersey that was formerly made up of blue-collar factory workers. While much of that industry has shut down, or moved overseas, NJ 6 retains its pro-union, Democratic leanings. The sixth district is also extremely diverse, having seen a surge of new Asian and Hispanic residents in the past 20 years. It has voted for the Democrat in all the recent presidential elections: Hillary, Obama, Kerry and Gore.

Pallone was challenged in 2018 for the Congress seat by Rich Pezzullo, a proudly-Trump supporting Republican who hoped to identify with fellow Trump-supporters in the area.