West and southwest suburban U.S. Rep. Bill Foster of Naperville has joined the vast majority of Democrats in Illinois’ congressional delegation on Wednesday in supporting impeachment proceedings against Republican President Donald Trump.
Foster acknowledged he has “wrestled with this decision” in both listening to his constituents in the 11th Congressional District and in reviewing evidence presented by former special counsel Robert Mueller in his investigation of Russian influence in the 2016 election and the Trump campaign.
“I have watched with horror as President Trump has perpetrated an assault on American values. In word and deed, President Trump has demonstrated an utter disregard for the rule of law and the fundamental principles that make up the foundation of our democracy,” Foster said in a statement.
“Our Constitution vests Congress with the unique obligation to perform oversight of the federal government, including of the president and his administration,” he said. “Under our system of checks and balances, no person — not even the president — should be above the law or immune from facing the consequences of their actions.”
Foster becomes the 11th representative of the state’s 13-member Democratic U.S. House delegation to back an impeachment inquiry of Trump. Only Democratic Reps. Cheri Bustos of Moline and Dan Lipinski of Western Springs have not urged moving forward with impeachment proceedings.
Bustos chairs the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and has been aligned with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s opinion to let congressional investigations of Trump and his administration run their course. Lipinski, a conservative Democrat, also has backed Pelosi’s views and has warned moving forward with impeachment, with a conviction unlikely in the GOP-controlled U.S. Senate, would backfire against Democrats if Trump isn’t removed from office.
With Foster, at least 132 members of the House support an impeachment inquiry of the president — all but one of them Democrats. Foster’s decision came just days after Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Schaumburg endorsed such a move.
Besides Foster and Krishnamoorhi, others in the state delegation’s 13-5 Democratic majority to urge pursuing impeachment are Reps. Brad Schneider of Deerfield, Lauren Underwood of Naperville, Sean Casten of Downers Grove, Robin Kelly of Matteson, Jan Schakowsky of Evanston and Chicago Reps. Mike Quigley, Bobby Rush, Danny Davis and Jesus “Chuy” Garcia.
Twitter @rap30
