State and National Government
One Virginia’s Democratic US Senators says recent controversial comments by President Trump show the need for better whistleblower protections. WFIR’s Clark Palmer has more.
Rep. Denver Riggleman
5th district Republican Congressman Denver Riggleman doesn’t see any “smoking gun” that would cause him to back the impeachment inquiry in Congress; he spoke live with WFIR’s Gene Marrano this morning:
Click below to hear the extended conversation with Congressman Denver Riggleman:
A new nationwide poll conducted by Quinnipiac University shows American voters are divided on impeaching and removing President Trump from office. This is a big jump from last week’s poll that showed more respondents favoring not impeaching Trump. WFIR’s Ian Price has more on the poll:
Rep. Morgan Griffith
9th District Republican Congressman Morgan Griffith says President Trump “could have used better language” in his telephone call with Ukraine’s president that prompted his Democratic colleagues to renew calls for impeachment. Speaking in some of the most animated manners we have seen from Griffith, he said the president did nothing improper in asking Ukraine to look into possible alleged improprieties involving former Vice-President Joe Biden.
Democratic Party leaders in Congress say Trump asked a foreign government to create something negative about a potential presidential opponent in 2020, and among other things, that violates his Constitutional oath.
Griffith appeared live on the Roanoke Valley’s Morning News. Here is the full conversation:
Republican Congressman Morgan Griffith says his Democratic party colleagues are intent upon undermining President Trump’s efforts to secure the southern border and reduce illegal immigration. It comes after the House approved legislation today that would terminate the national border emergency the president declared in February. As happened in March, a presidential veto is expected.
GRIFFITH STATEMENT: “The Trump Administration is using its lawful powers to try to secure our borders and reduce illegal immigration, but Speaker Pelosi and House Democrats are intent on undermining his efforts. Instead of working with Republicans on legislation to help American families, they chose to use the House’s time to vote yet again on a resolution ending the national emergency President Trump declared in response to the crisis on the southern border. This resolution is wrong.”
Bob Good (Campbell Co. photo)
First-term Republican Congressman Denver Riggleman will face a challenge next year from within his own party. Bob Good promises a formal announcement soon, but in a news release, he says Riggleman has “betrayed the trust” of the conservative Republican base in the 5th District. Good serves on the Campbell County Board of Supervisors, and he is Senior Associate Athletics Director at Liberty University.
NEWS RELEASE: Bob Good has announced his candidacy for Virginia’s 5th Congressional District, stating the following: “Denver Riggleman has betrayed the trust of the conservative Republican base that comprises the bulk of the 5th District with his votes against the border wall in favor of increased immigration… ignoring President Trump’s policy on American jobs for American workers, and even restricting the ability of ICE to do their jobs, just to name a few.”
Mr. Good went on to add “…it’s my contention and many others that he has so severely damaged himself within the party that he’s made himself unelectable in a general race next November. So I can confirm and will confirm that I responded to the call from the party to give our voters a concerted choice as their nominee and I do plan to formally announce my candidacy soon.”
The expected challenge comes shortly after the Rappahannock County Republican Party in Virginia censured Riggleman, accusing the freshman GOP congressman of “abandoning party principles” on fiscal spending, foreign policy and immigration.
FROM CONGRESSMAN MORGAN GRIFFITH: “In my opinion after reading the transcript, all the President requested was a reset and a valid investigation into allegations to which Vice President Biden had already admitted; namely that Vice President Biden had threatened a previous Ukrainian administration with the loss of a billion dollars in aid if it did not fire the prosecutor who just happened to be investigating the company of which the Vice President’s son was a board member. As the leader of the United States, it is right and proper for President Trump to request a reexamination after a previous high-ranking government official publicly admitted to inappropriate and possibly illegal behavior.
“If the Democrats are willing to investigate the allegations regarding Mr. Biden, then my hat is off to them, but I would be surprised.
“Ultimately, this is a matter for Ukraine, but lifting the previous U.S. administration’s threats against an investigator serves the ends of justice.”
FROM CONGRESSMAN BEN CLINE: “House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has caved to those on the far-left of her party who are demanding an official impeachment inquiry. She knows there is not enough support in the full House to pass a formal resolution of impeachment, so she has thrown her support behind the embarrassing spectacle of hearings that have been going on for months in the Judiciary Committee. As a member of the Judiciary Committee, I have watched as the Democrats have failed repeatedly to build a case for impeaching the President, from hearings about nonexistent Trump-Russian collusion to the flop that was the Mueller Report. While the Speaker and her party are now focused on new rumors, phone transcripts, and third-party allegations involving the President, I remain focused on doing the job that I was elected to do by the citizens of the Sixth District. It is my hope that we can put aside these political games and work toward addressing the important issues facing the American people.”
