Delaware’s junior Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) says, so far, he agrees with the case made by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and other House Democrats regarding the impeachment of President Trump.
The House introduced two articles of impeachment against the president Tuesday and a House vote on impeachment is expected as early as next week.
If the vote is to impeach, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has said an impeachment trial in the Senate would likely be held off until next year.
Coons calls the evidence thus far suggesting President Trump abused his office for his own political gain by withholding foreign aid to Ukraine to investigate a political rival “overwhelming.” He criticizes the president and his defenders for denouncing the impeachment process rather than debating its merit.
“If the president has evidence that somehow clears him of this or somehow supports his side of the story he needs to come forward with it and so far he hasn’t,” said Coons.
House Republicans have argued the Ukrainian government did ultimately receive foreign aid and no investigation was launched against Trump’s political rival Joe Biden.
President Trump has called the impeachment proceedings a “Witch Hunt” and says he did nothing wrong.
Coons says that while the impeachment process is divisive, he believes it is necessary.
“I agree with Speaker Pelosi that once President Trump publicly and demonstrably invited more foreign interference in our upcoming election, that crossed the threshold of the sort of behavior in office we can just sit by and allow to happen and then wait for the next election,” he said.
Coons maintains through the impeachment process Congress is continuing to “do the people’s business.” He cites the FUTURE Act—a bipartisan bill making permanent $255 million in annual funding for HBCU’s and minority serving institutions. Delaware State University in Dover receives close to $1 million from this fund each year.
“Minority serving institutions have played a vital role in providing open doors to educational opportunity in our country, but because of our nation’s history and these institution’s history they often lack the large endowments that other leading research universities have,” said Coons.
Coons was one of six sponsors on the measure. It passed last week and is awaiting Trump’s signature.
