Florida congressmen share common ground on impeachment inquiry

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – For only the fourth time in U.S. history, the House of Representatives has started a presidential impeachment inquiry.

House committees are trying to determine if President Donald Trump violated his oath of office by asking a foreign country to investigate a political opponent.

The impeachment inquiry into Trump is passionately partisan, and after speaking with members of the House of Representatives in Northeast Florida, that remains the case.

News4Jax found a place Republican Rep. John Rutherford, Republican Rep. Michael Waltz and Democratic Rep. Al Lawson all agree.

While Lawson believes there's good reason to proceed with the impeachment inquiry, he wishes Congress could get things done that are important for Americans.

"Right now all you hear is in the media is impeachment. Impeachment," Lawson said. "I'd really like to be able to get beyond that and do something positive in this 116th Congress before we go into the next year."

"What is so sad to me is all the work that's not being done," Waltz told News4Jax on Monday. "This investigation is going on going under six different committees. So immigration reform, healthcare reform, lowering prescription drug prices, our foreign policy issues, environmental issues. We could go on and on about the work that Washington isn't doing."

"What has become clear to me is that the leadership in the House, they dislike this president more than they love their country," Rutherford said. "That's a problem."

Lawson said he's told his Republican colleagues that what happened with the phone call to the Ukranian president is wrong. Republicans tell News4Jax they're upset they haven't had a single chance to vote in the House about the impeachment inquiry.


About the Authors:

Kent Justice co-anchors News4Jax's 5 p.m., 10 and 11 p.m. newscasts weeknights and reports on government and politics. He also hosts "This Week in Jacksonville," Channel 4's hot topics and politics public affairs show each Sunday morning at 9 a.m.