Rep. Ayanna Pressley, who serves on two of the six committees that are part of the impeachment inquiry, pointed over the weekend to growing support for that inquiry, from 10 or 12 cosponsors who "for months" backed the inquiry to now more than 220 U.S. House members.
During an interview with Joy Reid on MSNBC, Pressley, of Dorchester, declined to recommend boundaries for the inquiry, and said she has backed an inquiry since April and believes obstuction of justice in connection with 2016 election interference was proven in special counsel Robert Mueller's report.
"It's evidence both of the pervasive corruption throughout this administration, not only led by Donald Trump but perpetuated by all those in close proximity to him including Rudy Giuliani and Attorney General Barr," she said.
"We are early in this whole impeachment process," Pressley said. "We'll see where it takes us."
Revelations about Trump's request in July that Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky revive an investigation into Joe Biden, one of Trump's political rivals, marked a "tipping point" for many Democrats who now favor the inquiry, Pressley said. Trump says his call with the Ukrainian president was "perfect." At an event with Trump last week, Zelensky called it a "good phone call" with the president and said "nobody pushed - pushed me," according to a White House transcript.
One committee Pressley serves on is reviewing documents pertaining to Trump's finances and his dealings with Deutche Bank; another panel she serves on has subpoenaed documents from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that Pressley says will further corroborate a whistleblower's account of the Ukrainian incident.
