Hawaii congressman says he’s not ready to support impeachment

HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - U.S. Rep. Ed Case said Tuesday he is not ready to jump on the impeachment bandwagon, unlike most of his fellow Democrats.

Case, D-Hawaii, was also slow to support the impeachment process in the House but decided to back the inquiry after reports first surfaced that President Donald Trump had pressured the president of Ukraine to investigate his political rival, Joe Biden and his son Hunter.

But now that the House leadership has proposed articles of impeachment for that ― and for obstructing the congressional investigation ― Case said he still wants to examine the facts behind the allegations before committing to vote to charge the president.

“If those facts bear those out, all of the facts, then certainly it would be grounds for impeachment but I am not ready to make that call until I am finished with my analysis so again i think that’s a fair obligation to ask of me,” Case told Hawaii News Now.

In the last few weeks, Case has solicited the opinion on impeachment from his constituents. He said they run two-thirds in favor.

Asked whether he’s leaning 80, 90 or 95% toward impeachment, Case said, "You know I am not going to handicap the final result I am not gonna speculate on where I come out.

“This is where I am in the process. This is how I feel about how I should discharge my constitutional duty. This is a critical decision for our country; not just now, but the precedents that we set are going to stick with us for years and decades and centuries to come,” Case said.

“I want to be careful about the decision that I make its the most important decision I’ll ever make and I make no apologies for being careful.”

Case said he is not critical of colleagues who have already announced their decision or leadership that has put the process on a fast track for a vote before Christmas.

Case said he expects that the continuing investigations could find more evidence that might lead Republicans to turn against the president when that body takes up the removal trial after the holidays.