A Republican congressman from Michigan said he doesn’t support an impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump, but “there are legitimate questions” about Trump’s interactions with Ukraine and he has no problem with Democratic-led committees digging for more information.
“We need to know what the answers are,” Rep. Fred Upton said Wednesday at the Detroit Economic Club.
Upton is the latest Republican to back an investigation of allegations in a whistleblower’s report without embracing the impeachment inquiry endorsed by Democrats. His comments contrast with those from House GOP leaders, who have aggressively defended Trump against accusations that he abused his power when he asked the Ukrainian president to investigate Joe Biden and his son.
“I’m not for the formal impeachment inquiry that came up last week. But it is the right of any committee” in the House to conduct business, Upton said in response to questions.
“When we do a bill in Energy and Commerce we don’t get permission from anyone to go ahead and start,” he said. “Three committees are going to be asking questions. ... There are legitimate questions that have to be asked, and people are going to be required to answer them.”
Republican Rep. Mark Amodei of Nevada made similar remarks last week.
"I'm a big fan of oversight, so let's let the committees get to work and see where it goes," Amodei told reporters.
Upton was first elected in southwestern Michigan in 1986 and is the dean of Michigan’s congressional delegation. He got slightly more than 50% of the vote in a three-candidate race in 2018 _ his smallest victory margin. He’s recognized as a moderate Republican.
Asked if he was ready to endorse Trump’s reelection, Upton replied, “Not yet.”
He didn’t endorse Trump in 2016.
