ATLANTA — Georgia Democratic congressmen backed an impeachment inquiry of President Donald J. Trump leading up to and following a Tuesday announcement by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.

U.S. Reps. Hank Johnson, John Lewis and David Scott were the first Georgia congressmen to call for presidential impeachment proceedings to move forward. U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop Jr., D-Albany, also backed the impeachment inquiry late Tuesday.

Johnson, D-Lithonia, said the president’s “recent admission” of discussions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden is “profoundly troubling.”

“Attempting to coerce a foreign government into digging up dirt on a political opponent, then trying to cover it up by unlawfully refusing to turn over the whistleblower complaint to Congress, crosses a red line,” Johnson said in a prepared statement. “President Trump’s repeated obstruction and flagrant disregard of his oath of office demands the issuance of Articles of Impeachment.”

Lewis, D-Atlanta, said on the House floor he is deeply concerned for the state of our democracy and that Trump’s administration has shown “disregard for ethics, for the law and for the Constitution.”

“The people have a right to know whether they can put their faith and trust in the outcome of our election,” he said. “They have a right to know whether the cornerstone of our democracy was undermined by people sitting in the White House today.”

There is no time to delay, he added, “now is the time to act.”

Scott, D-Atlanta, released a statement backing impeachment inquiry minutes before Pelosi’s formal announcement.

“There are national security implications to the President’s actions here,” he said in a prepared statement. “But moreover, Congress must exercise its duties as a co-equal branch of government to preserve the checks and balances laid out in the Constitution.”

Rep. Sanford Bishop also supports the inquiry.

Bishop released a statement backing the inquiry after the formal announcement. “Members of Congress took an oath before God to uphold the Constitution, not the President,” he said. “It is imperative to our national security, the preservation of the rule of law and our patriotism that we begin an impeachment inquiry.”

When asked for comment on the impeachment inquiry, a spokesperson for U.S. Sen. David Perdue, forwarded a statement he made to Atlanta-Journal Constitution reporter, Tamar Hallerman, in Washington, D.C.

“They’ve weaponized politics here. They have obstructed this president since day one,” Perdue told the Atlanta-Journal Constitution. “I see this as premature. I just think it is time to move on and start legislating instead of all this investigating.”

The office of U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson simply said the senator will continue to monitor all the information available should the matter come before the Senate for consideration.

Fellow Republican U.S. Rep. Austin Scott also commented. 

Scott said in a prepared statement Tuesday evening, “Unfortunately, Speaker Pelosi has succumbed to the belligerent left and their media allies to move forward with an impeachment inquiry against the President. Democrats continue to waste time and taxpayer dollars on endless investigations while refusing to address the many challenges our nation faces.”

State Reaction 

State lawmakers in Georgia are also speaking out. 

Georgia House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, slammed U.S. House Democrats in a statement to CNHI, saying, “Just when you think they can go no lower, Washington Democrats have proven us wrong.

“No plan to grow jobs, no plan to allow hard-working Americans to keep more of their money and no plan to keep us safe, but wasted energy on an impeachment process that is going nowhere in a hurry,” Ralston said. “President Trump’s record of creating jobs, growing our economy, cutting taxes and making sure America stands strong in the world is beyond dispute. Also beyond dispute is the obsessive hatred of Washington Democrats.”

Georgia House Minority Leader Rep. Robert Trammell, D-Luthersville, told CNHI that the inquiry is the “prudent course of action.”

“The allegation that a sitting president would openly solicit the assistance of a foreign government to take down a political rival is the type of thing you would imagine reading about authoritarian regimes in other countries,” he said. “The President should release the transcript immediately, and Congress should follow the facts, wherever they lead.”

Local Reaction 

Gary Wisenbaker is a South Georgia political consultant, conservative columnist and Valdosta realtor. In 2016 he traveled the nation working on the campaign to elect Trump. Wisenbaker told CNHI in a statement late Tuesday, “This is much ado about nothing.

“The only difference today from yesterday is that Speaker Pelosi is on board with what Representative Nader, his committee, and dozens of other House committees are already doing. She’s not calling for any House votes because she knows that if she does, she puts the swing district Democratic Socialists in jeopardy.” 

Wisenbaker said, “The more they talk about this, the more solidified the GOP becomes and the more it becomes a gift to the GOP. The simple fact is that the party of Pelosi has done nothing over the past two years but investigate President Trump for the simple reason he won in 2016 and hurt their feelings.”

Civil rights activist Rev. Floyd Rose told The Valdosta Daily Times, “I think it’s about time. Don’t know why it took so long. Whether he is convicted by the Senate is irrelevant if he’s indicted by the House.”

Rose said he doesn’t think the impeachment process will hurt Democrats.

“The country will see it as them doing their job and if it does hurt them so be it. It’s better to do what you believe is right. Period,” he said.

But Wisenbaker said in his view Trump has moved forward an agenda that has strengthened the nation and he characterized the proceeding as “another witch hunt.”