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Dozens honor lost loved ones on National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; U.S. Sen. Bob Casey Wednesday called for the impeachment of President Donald Trump.</p><p>Casey, D-Scranton, issued a lengthy statement detailing his position on the issue.</p><p>&#8220;The recent revelation that President Trump pressured a foreign government to investigate his political opponents is a textbook case of abuse of power which demands decisive action,&#8221; Casey said. &#8220;In order to hold President Trump fully accountable, I support a formal impeachment inquiry in the House of Representatives.&#8221;</p><p>Casey&#8217;s Republican colleague, U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Lehigh Valley, however, reacted quite differently.</p><p>Toomey released the following statement regarding the memorandum released on President Trump&#8217;s phone call with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine:</p><p>&#8220;The memorandum released by the White House today reveals no quid pro quo. While the conversation reported in the memorandum relating to alleged Ukrainian corruption and (former) Vice President (Joe) Biden&#8217;s son was inappropriate, it does not rise to the level of an impeachable offense.&#8221;</p><p>Casey said his concerns about Trump&#8217;s conduct have grown over months, particularly as he thoroughly reviewed Special Counsel Robert Mueller&#8217;s April 18 report on Russia&#8217;s interference in the 2016 election.</p><p>&#8220;President Trump&#8217;s most recent actions with regard to Ukraine have created new urgency to take action,&#8221; Casey said. &#8220;Given this clear abuse of power, I believe I have an obligation to outline the conduct, both during the Russian investigation and the Ukraine matter, that is within the well-established definition of the &#8216;high crimes and misdemeanors&#8217; that the Senate would consider in an impeachment trial.&#8221;</p><p>Casey went on to say that when Mueller issued his report and more recently as reporting has emerged about Trump&#8217;s conduct toward Ukraine, he has attempted to assess how Trump&#8217;s actions fit into the historical and current understanding of &#8220;high crimes and misdemeanors.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Such an undertaking must be done in a considered manner,&#8221; Casey said. &#8220;Surely, not every instance of presidential wrongdoing merits impeachment. Using the vast powers of impeachment in a cavalier fashion would be an insult to our Constitution. However, a failure by Congress to pursue impeachment in the face of grave offenses by the President is just as insulting to our Constitution and our values.&#8221;</p><p>Casey said Congress must confront the facts before them that a failure to do so would be an abrogation of the most basic responsibilities.</p><p>&#8220;In order to hold President Trump accountable, I agree with (House) Speaker Nancy Pelosi&#8217;s call to open a formal impeachment inquiry and begin impeachment proceedings against President Trump,&#8221; Casey said.</p><p>U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-Moosic, said in a news release Tuesday it is necessary to say that some of Trump&#8217;s conduct is &#8220;unacceptable.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;There have been credible allegations this week that the President abused the power of his office, on the international stage, for his own political gain,&#8221; Cartwright said. &#8220;We need to get to the bottom of these serious allegations through comprehensive impeachment proceedings and document production. Whether such hearings result in actual impeachment of the president and/or senior cabinet officials remains to be seen.&#8221;</p><p>U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Dallas, defended Trump&#8217;s call to Zelensky in a statement released Wednesday.</p><p>&#8220;After reading the transcript from President Trump&#8217;s call with President Zelensky, it&#8217;s clear that there was no quid pro quo and that it was reasonable for them to discuss the potential corruption that may have transpired between the former Vice President and Ukraine.</p><p>&#8220;The Democrats believe this justifies impeachment. I do not agree and I&#8217;m quite sure any reasonable American, Republican or Democrat, does not agree either,&#8221; Meuser said.</p><p>&#8220;If there should be any inquiries, it should be surrounding the potential corruption mentioned in the transcript involving the former Vice President. This seems to be conveniently dismissed,&#8221; he added.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Meuser </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_TTL101618Meuser1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Meuser </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_TTL100516toomey2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Toomey </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_TTL100516toomey2.jpg</photo1><caption1>Toomey </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_TTL090119CASEY3.cmyk_.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Casey </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_TTL090119CASEY3.cmyk_.jpg</photo2><caption2>Casey </caption2><photoCredit2></photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_Cartwright_Matt-CMYK.jpg">
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Bill O&#8217;Boyle</p><p>boboyle@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Bill O&#8217;Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Casey, Toomey disagree on call for impeachment of Trump