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Where do Washington, North Idaho lawmakers stand on impeachment?

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) announced on Tuesday that she would be opening an impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump.

SPOKANE, Wash. — Washington and North Idaho politicians are reacting to an announcement by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), who said she would open an impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump

The announcement comes after news reports that President Trump asked the government of Ukraine to investigate the family of Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden for his own benefit.

Pelosi said in a press conference on Tuesday afternoon that the president's actions "seriously violated the Constitution" and that "no one is above the law."

The president reacted on Twitter, calling impeachment a "witch hunt" and "Presidential Harassment."

The office of Washington Gov. Jay Inslee shared the following statement with KREM's Seattle sister station on his behalf, “The governor absolutely supports the move given a long pattern of offenses by this president. As the governor has said, 'The president cannot go on unabated. It’s time to act.'”  

KREM reached out to senators and representatives from eastern Washington and North Idaho for their reactions.

Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) said she supported the decision to open an impeachment inquiry.

"I support Pelosi's decision to initiate a formal impeachment inquiry. No one is above the law. We must safeguard our democracy and stop foreign interference in our elections," Cantwell said in a statement.

RELATED: House to launch impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump

Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) of the state's 5th District, which includes Spokane and most of eastern Washington, said that it was a political move by Democrats, who she said are jumping to "unfounded conclusions."

"This is yet another example of the hyper-partisan political climate today. Instead of waiting for all the facts, House Democrats are jumping to unfounded conclusions," Rodgers said in a statement. "When people we represent are searching for hope and expecting results, both Republicans and Democrats need to dig a little deeper and be more focused on solving problems that make a difference, not just a point. I’m pleased the President is being transparent and releasing the transcript of the conversation this week. I will be reviewing the facts before making any decisions on what’s best for the American people."

Representative Russ Fulcher (R-ID) of Idaho's 1st District said this was an act of obstruction by Democrats.

"Since the day President Trump was elected to office, this has been the democrats’ strategy," Fulcher said in a statement. "They can’t win in the arena of ideas or in superiority of candidates, so the obstruction continues—tax returns, the Mueller investigation, a fake dossier, the absence of collusion, election interference, and now it’s a whistleblower report. In the meantime, the work of the people remains on hold.”

RELATED: Trump reacts to the House launching impeachment inquiry

Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) released a statement on Tuesday morning before the announcement about impeachment proceedings, saying she supported the move.

"I have already said I support formal impeachment proceedings in the House," Murray said in one of the tweets. "Recent reports — and the President’s own admissions — about pressuring a foreign government to investigate a political rival are a fundamental threat to our democracy that makes this process even more vital.” 

"We know there was foreign interference in the 2016 elections — and now, we have confirmation from this President that he is inviting foreign interference in the next election. This is gross corruption and a clear threat to our democracy. Anyone who doesn't speak out is complicit," Murray said in another tweet.

Senator Michael Crapo (R-ID) released a statement via Twitter about the impeachment inquiry, saying he will withhold opinion until more information is discovered.

"I always prefer Congress remain a legislative body that advances legislation to benefit the American people. As to the question of impeachment, our entire legal system is dependent on our ability to find the truth," Crapo said. "I will wait for further information regarding the facts of this matter and refrain from speculating on any outcomes of this discussion and process."

KREM has also reached to Senator James Risch (R-ID) and Representative Dan Newhouse (R-WA 04), but has not heard back as of 3:45 p.m.

Representative Dan Newhouse (R-WA 04) said that the impeachment inquiry is a "media spectacle."

"House Democrats and Nancy Pelosi have devolved the People’s House into little more than a constant media spectacle. Their continued attacks on our nation’s presidency weaken our democracy and threaten our national security," Newhouse said. "I read the transcript President Trump released today of his phone call with President Zelensky. It does not contain a ‘quid-pro-quo’ deal with Ukraine. Congress should be legislating on behalf of the American people, not continuing endless investigations and reckless impeachment inquiries fueled by media frenzy.”

Chair Caleb Heimlich of the Washington State Republican Party said Tuesday, "The Democrats can't stand the idea of losing the 2020 election. That's what this is all about. It's about getting President Trump out of office, any way they can do it. So rather than letting the people vote and abiding by the results of the election, they're trying to undo that. That's why they're pushing this impeachment hearing, pushing more investigation, to see what they can dig up and see what sticks, because that's the only way they can win in 2020." 

Chair of the Washington State Democratic Party Tina Podlodowski said Tuesday, "Look, it's really clear that Trump has violated his oath of office, has betrayed the American people, has betrayed our security as a country, in so many ways, in just this one incident. It doesn't even take into account everything that we've seen revealed over the last year through the Mueller report and so many other places. So it's a long time coming. There's a lot of issues that are on the table. I'm confident that we're going to find that this President does not deserve to be in office and, in fact, has betrayed the American people and the office of president."

RELATED: President Trump says he will release 'complete, unredacted' transcript of Ukraine call

RELATED: AP: Trump ordered freeze of $400 million to Ukraine before call about Biden

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