Rep. Ben Ray Luján becomes highest-ranking Democrat to back impeachment inquiry

by Kerry Eleveld

Community

Monday, Aug. 19, 2019 Monday, Aug. 19, 2019 at 12:19:01pm PDT

WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 06: DCCC Chair Ben Ray LujÃ¡n (D-NM) delivers remarks during a DCCC election watch party at the Hyatt Regency on November 6, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Zach Gibson/Getty Images) — Rep. Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico

The No. 4 Democrat on the House leadership team became the 125th Democrat in the lower chamber Monday to announce support for opening an impeachment inquiry into Donald Trump.

New Mexico Rep. Ben Ray Luján, who's currently running for U.S. Senate, added his name to the growing list of impeachment supporters after one of his primary opponents staged a live-reading of the Mueller report last month on social media. New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver, a impeachment supporter, read from Mueller's report at her kitchen table in advance of the special counsel's July congressional appearance.

“What is evident is that President Trump is abdicating his responsibility to defend our nation from Russian attacks and is putting his own personal and political interests ahead of the American people," Rep. Luján said in a statement. His support for opening an impeachment proceeding into Trump could also carry weight with the crop of freshmen Democrats he helped usher into Congress in 2018 while overseeing the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.