NY Congressional Candidate Says Impeachment 'Baseless'

TUXEDO, NY — The Orange County Republican challenging Sean Patrick Maloney for New York's 18th district seat in the U.S. Congress says the Democrat's call for President Donald Trump's impeachment is "baseless."

In response to the White House's release of a national security memorandum detailing a controversial phone conversation between President Trump and Ukranian President Zelensky, Chele Chiavacci Farley demanded Maloney change his stand.

"It is clear that Congressman Maloney made a rash and irresponsible public statement about an impeachment inquiry, without knowing any of the facts," she said. "The Congressman’s accusation that President Trump engaged in “egregious conduct” on his phone call with Ukrainian President Zelensky has been proven to be without merit, as the recently released transcript clearly shows.

"Congressman Maloney and his radical socialist colleagues in the House continue to aggressively push a phony narrative based on speculative media reports with zero evidence. Now that President Trump has released the transcript, with the whistleblower complaint and Inspector General report soon to follow, it is time for Maloney to do the right thing and retract his baseless calls for impeachment.”

Maloney, a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, sent out a statement Tuesday and also was interviewed on MSNBC. In the interview he said, "These are new allegations and they could not be more serious. We know that the president has admitted to egregious conduct ... The idea that the president, any president, would go to a foreign leader and try to dredge up a smear campaign, a false smear campaign, against a political rival and threaten to withhold US aid when that country is being invaded right now by the Russians ... we have never been in a place like this before."

Here is his statement:

“I have had a high bar for putting the country through an impeachment inquiry, especially so close to an election. But these allegations go to the heart of the oath I took. There comes a time to put your country first. Unless the Intelligence Committee immediately receives both the whistleblower complaint, and the recordings of any calls – and they dispel these charges – I am prepared to pursue an impeachment inquiry of the President. The old Trump song and dance won’t cut it this time.”

SEE ALSO: Read: Contents Of Trump Call With Ukrainian President