Not surprisingly, most of central and northern New York's members of Congress, who are Republicans, do not support the formal impeachment inquiry into President Trump announced by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Tuesday.
In a statement, central New York Rep. John Katko (R-Camillus) called Pelosi's announcement a "dramatic overstep."
I served as a federal prosecutor for nearly 20 years and unequivocally believe in following the facts, wherever they lead. The full facts surrounding the President’s conversation with the Ukrainian President need to come out. The abrupt decision by Nancy Pelosi and House Democrats to begin impeachment proceedings without waiting for the facts is a dramatic overstep.
Katko has three Democratic challengers in next year's election. All three, Roger Misso, Francis Conole, and Dana Balter, released statements in support of the impeachment inquiry.
North Country Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-Schuylerville) took the chance to attack her Democratic opponent, Tedra Cobb. In a statement released, not from her official Congressional office, but from her reelection campaign, Stefanik asked where Cobb, who Stefanik called a "failed, far left candidate," stood on impeachment.
I strongly believe in the importance of transparency. I support the President’s decision to release the entire transcript of his call with the Ukrainian President to the American public. I do not support impeachment of the President. The real question is where does my opponent - failed, far left candidate Taxin' Tedra Cobb - stand on the impeachment of President Trump given today's announcement of support by Democratic Leadership?
Cobb has not yet responded.
Rep. Anthony Brindisi (D-Utica) is the only upstate Democrat to not publicly support impeachment. The first-term moderate defeated Claudia Tenney by just a few thousand votes in 2018 in the largely rural 22nd Congressional District, which spans from the Southern Tier to the Mohawk Valley to the eastern part of Oswego County.
After Pelosi announced the impeachment inquiry Tuesday, Brindisi still said he had more questions.
The allegations surrounding an intelligence official’s whistleblower complaint are incredibly concerning. (1/5)
— Rep. Anthony Brindisi (@RepBrindisi) September 24, 2019
The security of the United States depends on getting this right, and I have many more questions. (3/5)
— Rep. Anthony Brindisi (@RepBrindisi) September 24, 2019
We cannot play politics with our national security. We need to know the facts to fulfill our Constitutional duty. (5/5)
— Rep. Anthony Brindisi (@RepBrindisi) September 24, 2019
