WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — The American public is about to hear for themselves evidence in the impeachment investigation into President Donald Trump that is “very damning and very powerful,” according to U.S. Rep. Peter Welch, a member of the House Intelligence Committee that is leading the inquiry.
“The public is very much a part of this. That’s why going into these public hearings is so important; it’s going to give the public the opportunity to hear directly from these witnesses,” Welch said in an interview Monday morning after a Veterans Day ceremony at the White River Junction VA Medical Center.
Welch was one of 232 U.S. representatives who voted late last month to advance the impeachment investigation in the House. At the core of the investigation is a July phone call between Trump and Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in which Trump urged Zelensky to announce an investigation of political rival Joe Biden, according to reports. Trump then withheld $391 million of military aid to Ukraine until September, according to testimony.
Over the past two weeks, the House Intelligence Committee has listened to closed-door testimony from officials with knowledge of the call. The public hearings, which kick off Wednesday with testimony from acting U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor, will mark the first time the public has been privy to the proceedings.
For Welch, the “smoking gun” in the case is the transcript of Trump’s phone call with Zelensky. He said it’s illegal to get foreign assistance in a political campaign, and the transcript is evidence Trump broke the law.
“The whole issue of impeachment is about whether there’s been a violation of public trust for private, personal gain and that’s essentially what happened here,” Welch said. He added that all of the evidence that’s come out since the transcript of the phone call, “has established the clear intention of the president to get a foreign government to help him in his campaign.”
Along with the conversation between Trump and Zelensky, Welch pointed to another aspect of the case that he finds particularly egregious: the president’s decision to withhold congressionally-approved aid from Ukraine, which Welch called a “betrayal of official responsibility.” Congress approved the aid to Ukraine as part of the 2019 budget; the money was meant to boost military funding for the country following a conflict with Russia.
“It’s just astonishing to me that the president would jeopardize what had been a bipartisan policy to help Ukraine — and to become part of a family of democratic nations — to assist him in his campaign,” Welch said, adding that Trump put the United States’ national security as well as the lives of Ukrainian citizens in jeopardy.
Welch said he was initially wary of an impeachment investigation, worrying that it would be too “divisive” for a country that is already facing a polarized political divide. However, he said that he changed his tune this summer after realizing that Trump’s actions — particularly in regards to the phone call with Zelensky — shouldn’t go unchecked.
“(If we ignored it) does that set a whole new standard, that the president can do whatever he or she wants?” Welch said.
Along with Welch, U.S. Reps. Annie Kuster and Chris Pappas, both D-N.H., voted late last month for the House impeachment investigation to take place, but some Republicans are pushing back.
Former state Rep. Steve Negron, R-Nashua, who is again trying to unseat Kuster in 2020, last week launched an anti-impeachment petition, calling the inquiry a “political persecution” of Trump.
“The people of New Hampshire want the Democrats in Congress to stop wasting millions of dollars on yet another witch hunt,” Negron said in a statement.
Welch’s comments on the impeachment proceedings came after he spoke at the VA ceremony and touched on themes of community and coming together for the greater good.
Speaking in front of about 70 veterans, VA employees and area residents, Welch said that members of the military have sacrificed safety, a stable home life and more in the interest of serving their country. He said the public can take inspiration from that sacrifice.
“That spirit, the desire to use your talents — along with other people — to accomplish the common good, isn’t that what our country needs?” he asked.
He went on to say citizens have a “duty to create a sense of community” the way that soldiers in the military have, and to exhibit the same loyalty for their country.
“Don’t we have a duty to get over our divisions in our state and country, to achieve a common good?” he said. “We do.”
Anna Merriman can be reached at amerriman@vnews.com or 603-727-3216.