Nashville congressman backs impeachment inquiry – Nashville Post

U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Nashville) now supports impeachment inquiries against President Donald Trump.

Cooper’s announcement comes nearly two years after Tennessee other congressional Democrat, Steve Cohen of Memphis, first said he supported impeaching Trump.

“It’s time for the House of Representatives to begin the impeachment process against President Trump,” Cooper said Tuesday. The President’s invitation to yet another foreign power — this time Ukraine — to undermine U.S. elections requires that Congress begin the process in our Constitution to levy formal charges against him. This is a very serious step, but the President’s continuing misconduct requires that Congress uphold our Constitution and the laws of the land. No one, not even the President, is above the law.”

Cooper’s new stance comes as a wave of Washington Democrats, including moderates in competitive districts, have newly backed impeachment in recent days. The changing attitudes have been spurred as more information is made public about Trump’s conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, during which Trump reportedly threatened witheld aid if Ukraine did not investigate Trump political rival Joe Biden.

Speaking to the Scene in August, Cooper was highly skeptical about the effectiveness of impeaching Trump.

“Without a conviction in the Senate, which no one thinks is at all likely, then he would claim he was exonerated, and it was all a partisan attack,” he said. “Trump has encouraged the impeachment talk. This is like putting up a red flag in front of a bull. He is hoping we’ll charge the flag. Declaring impeachment really wouldn’t add anything. What people want to hear back home is that we’re trying to fix their problems.”

So far, it’s crickets from Tennessee’s Republicans in Washington on the Ukrainian matter.

UPDATE: Trump-endorsed U.S. Senate candidate Bill Hagerty issued a statement on the Cooper announcement.

“A clear majority of House Democrats, led by Nancy Pelosi and ‘The Squad,’ are calling for impeachment, and now that includes both of Tennessee’s Democrat Congressmen. It’s disappointing to see both Jim Cooper and Steve Cohen join in tearing down President Trump, rather than working with him to make life better for Tennessee families. As your Senator, I will help President Trump keep winning for Tennessee families, and I will always stand with him against the radical socialist agenda that seeks to destroy our conservative values.“