Titus joins calls for impeachment inquiry

Nevada Rep. Dina Titus Monday became the first member of Nevada’s congressional delegation to call for the launch of an impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump.

“My decision isn’t based on my disagreements with the President’s policies or my disapproval of his temperament, though I have both,” the Las Vegas Democrat said in a video statement on social media. “I’m calling for an impeachment inquiry because of the mounting evidence that Donald Trump has repeatedly broken the law to protect his own interests.”

“To be clear, misleading the public and the press is not an impeachable offense. But lying to law enforcement officials who are investigating the Russian attack on our democracy – and ordering his staff to do the same – are serious crimes.”

Titus joins a surge of House Democrats who, after former special counsel Robert Mueller’s testimony to congressional committees last week, are now calling for the start of an impeachment inquiry. By Politico’s count, Titus would be the 108th representative to support the start of impeachment proceedings. Ten more would amount to a majority of House Democrats.

In her statement, Titus also vowed to intensify the investigation of Trump operating and profiting from his hotel on federal property in Washington D.C. Titus is the ranking Democrat of the subcommittee that has been investigating Trump’s hotel deal.

Titus has supported legislation to study impeachment, and was the only Nevada Democrat voting earlier this month to advance a resolution sponsored by Rep. Al Green stating that Trump “is unfit to be President and warrants impeachment, trial, and removal from office.” That resolution was squashed, 332 to 95, by Republicans and most Democrats,

In prior interviews Titus has also called impeachment a “fool’s errand” because the Republican Senate, which would try Trump if the House moved to impeach, would likely never convict. But Titus also stated in June that she “won’t hesitate” to call for impeachment “when the time is right.”

Though the first Democrat in Nevada’s current congressional delegation to call for impeachment, Titus is not the only high-profile Nevada Democrat to do so. After repeatedly rejecting the idea, former Sen. Harry Reid reversed course in June and called for the House to launch impeachment proceedings.

Here is the video statement Titus issued Monday:

I'm calling for an impeachment inquiry because of the mounting evidence that Donald Trump has repeatedly broken the law to protect his own interests. pic.twitter.com/w0mSHc9ewQ

— Dina Titus (@repdinatitus) July 29, 2019