Rep. Payne Supports Trump Impeachment Probe: 'No One Above Law'

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — U.S. Rep. Donald Payne Jr. of New Jersey’s 10th District has thrown his weight behind an impeachment inquiry for President Donald Trump.

Earlier this week, Payne said he was a "strong supporter" of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has requested that the House of Representatives launch an impeachment inquiry into Trump's alleged actions.

Trump is accused of offering hundreds of millions of dollars in stalled military aid to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, under the condition that the country launches a probe into former vice president Joe Biden, one of his main challengers in the 2020 election.

Trump has denied the accusation, calling the ensuing controversy “presidential harassment” and a “witch hunt.”

The president and his administration are also accused of trying to cover up a whistleblower complaint about his call to Zelensky.

• See related article: Official Impeachment Inquiry To Begin Against Trump
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According to Payne, his office has received dozens of calls in favor of Trump's impeachment following the recent accusations.

"I am a strong supporter of Speaker Pelosi's courageous act to launch an inquiry," Payne wrote. "It is time we held our president accountable for his vile actions and behavior in office. No one is above the law!"

Payne represents the following municipalities in Essex, Hudson and Union counties: Bloomfield (part), East Orange, Glen Ridge, Irvington, Maplewood, Montclair (part), Newark (part), Orange, South Orange, West Orange (part), Bayonne (part), Jersey City (part), Hillside, Linden, Rahway, Roselle, Roselle Park, Union Township (part).

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• See related article: Rep. Payne Will Boycott Trump Inauguration
• See related article: NJ Democrat Leaders Blast Trump, Govt. Shutdown

The idea of impeaching Trump has inspired fierce support – and opposition – in the Garden State.

New Jersey Citizen Action issued a statement in favor of an impeachment inquiry on Tuesday.

“President Trump stands accused of attempting to coerce a foreign government to influence our democracy, and attempting to block a whistleblower’s complaint from coming to Congress,” said Executive Director Phyllis Salowe-Kaye.

“If these allegations are true, they are violations of the law, abuses of power and impeachable offenses.”

On the flip side of the coin, Steven Rogers, Nutley town commissioner and head of the Trump-boosting America Winning Coalition, said the impeachment inquiry is not only a waste of time, it’s a “nail in the political coffin” of the Democratic Party.

“Calling for the impeachment of President Trump is absolutely ridiculous, a waste of time, and a waste of taxpayers’ dollars,” Rogers told New Jersey Globe. “The president committed no impeachable offenses, let alone no offenses at all.”

Other people said that regardless of what you think about Trump, impeachment proceedings will only divide the country and distract from more important issues.

According to Livingston High School Hall of Fame member and U.S. Senate candidate Shiva Ayyadurai:

“Whether you are Left or Right, Democrat or Republican, pro-Trump or anti-Trump, the impeachment proceedings aim to divide our country, distract us from addressing real problems & uniting us around real solutions. Who does this serve? Surely not you or I - the American Worker.”

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