WRIC, SARA MCCLOSKEY

A group of freshmen Democrats — including two from Virginia — say they would back impeaching President Donald Trump if the allegations about his conversations with Ukraine’s President are true.

Rep. Abigail Spanberger (VA-District 7) and Rep. Elaine Luria (VA-District 2) are among those with national security backgrounds calling for an investigation in an op-ed to The Washington Post.

“The severity and the very specific nature of these allegations means that we must take immediate and quick action,” Rep. Spanberger said in a phone interview with Capitol Bureau Reporter Sara McCloskey. “The evolution of this story is deeply, deeply disturbing.”

A whistleblower came out last week with information about conversations President Trump had with Ukraine’s President. The President is accused of asking Ukraine’s leader to look into former Vice President Joe Biden’s son and his past work. Biden is now running for the White House.

“At every level, in terms of what this means for 2020, we’re undermining, we’re weakening the overall strength and belief that the American people might have in our system,” Spanberger added.

Rep. Luria has called for the House to move forward with impeachment.

“This was clearly an attempt to leverage foreign involvement to bolster his reelection campaign and shows a total disregard for our democratic political process,” Rep. Luria said in a statement.

An investigation must find out the answers, Spanberger says, before she backs an impeachment. There are multiple different paths to investigate, she said, including an impeachment inquiry if that’s what colleagues deemed appropriate.

“Before we begin the conversation of whether he should or shouldn’t be impeached, we have to answer the question are these allegations true or false,” Spanberger said over the phone.

Spanberger and Luria have been called out by members of the GOP by taking a stance on the issue.

National Republican Congressional Committee Spokeswoman Camille Gallo says the congresswomen “dropped their phony moderate act to join their impeachment-obsessed base and it will cost them their seats.”

In a statement, Trump Victory Spokesperson Samantha Cotten said Spanberger and Luria have “put their constituents on the backburner.”

Early Tuesday night, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the official launch of an impeachment inquiry. This comes after the U.S. Senate unanimously passed a non-binding resolution calling on the Trump administration to release the whistleblower’s complaint to Congressional intelligence Committees.