Washington D.C. – Today, Congressman Adam Smith (D-WA) issued the following statement:

“The evidence is clear that President Trump withheld congressionally approved military assistance to pressure Ukrainian President Zelensky to dig up dirt on a political opponent. The President has yet to deny these allegations. If true, it is a brazen abuse of presidential power and an impeachable offense.

“After years of debate and uncertainty, this may represent a new chapter of clarity. It is imperative that Congress receive direct testimony from the whistleblower. I will not accept an edited transcript – refusal to provide an unredacted transcript and un-doctored recording would blatantly violate federal law and the Whistleblower Act. Time and again, the Trump Administration has demonstrated that it is not a reliable arbiter of the truth.

“It is now the job of Congress to act as swiftly as possible to uncover the full extent of the President’s corruption and degradation of democracy. The American people deserve to know how the President leveraged congressionally authorized taxpayer dollars for his own personal interest over national security as we move toward impeachment proceedings.

“It is urgent that Congress uncover any and all evidence that President Trump used military aid as leverage in this coercion. I am fully committed to upholding the rule of law through impeachment investigations.”

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