Wayne Messam (D), the mayor of Miramar, Fla., is now the third Democratic presidential candidate to back impeachment proceedings against President Trump following the release of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report.
“Based on what is available I believe the President should be placed under impeachment proceedings and let the weight of the full report carry out the justice the American people deserve,” Messam said Monday in a statement to The Hill.
{mosads}”Special counsel Mueller provided evidence that would determine if impeachment proceedings should take place. The full special counsel report without redaction should be released to Congress for review to determine if evidence is sufficient to impeach Trump. Congress has the constitutional authority of oversight and must be given the full report.”
The Florida mayor also characterized the report’s descriptions of interactions between Russia and the Trump campaign as “alarming and damning.”
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on Friday became the first Democratic presidential candidate to call for Trump’s impeachment, a day after a redacted version of the Mueller report was made public.
Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro (D) followed soon after, telling CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Friday that it would be “perfectly reasonable” for Congress to open impeachment proceedings.
“It’s clear that Bob Mueller in his report left that in the hands of Congress,” he added.
The release of Mueller’s report prompted other Democrats to ramp up talk of impeachment. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) last week said she would sign on to a resolution calling for an investigation into whether Trump should be impeached.
Mueller’s report determined that there was insufficient evidence to prove coordination between Trump’s 2016 campaign and the Kremlin.
On the issue of obstructing justice, Mueller’s team investigated 10 incidents, including Trump’s firing of FBI Director James Comey and efforts to deny that he ordered then-White House counsel Don McGahn to demand the special counsel be removed.
Mueller did not reach a conclusion on whether obstruction occurred but said Congress has the authority to conduct investigations into the matter.