Trump Engaged In 'Abuse Of Power:' Assemblyman Gordon Johnson

FORT LEE, NJ — Assemblyman Gordon Johnson has backed the formal impeachment inquiry into President Trump, claiming that he engaged in abuse of power.

Johnson, a Democrat representing New Jersey's 37th Legislative District, issued a statement Thursday regarding the U.S. House of Representative's inquiry.

"President Trump believed releasing the transcript of his July phone conversation with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky would prove to be exculpatory, but on the contrary it only raised further questions and concerns. I am, in no uncertain terms, behind the House of Representatives in their decision to move forward with a formal impeachment inquiry," Johnson said.

On Tuesday, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, announced Congress is launching a formal impeachment inquiry, CNN reported.

Trump is accused of offering $250 million in stalled military aid to the Ukrainian president under the condition that the country launches a probe into Biden and his family. Trump has denied the accusation, The Washington Post reported.

"Trump’s request for the Ukraine to produce dirt on former Vice President and presidential candidate Joe Biden was an abuse of power, particularly if he withheld foreign aid. Leveraging his office against a political opponent for his own best interests, not those of the United States and the American people, is a breach of his constitutional responsibility," Johnson said. "Allowing the highest office in the country to go unchecked like this is dangerous for the future of our democracy. We cannot afford to be by-standers to this endless continuum of self-serving behavior. Our country and national security are reliant on a commander-in-chief able to put national interests far above their own."

Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. issued a statement Wednesday regarding the inquiry.

Pascrell Jr., a Democrat representing New Jersey's ninth District, said that Trump's "crimes and obstruction of justice" have not abated, but accelerated because Trump has not been constrained.

Related: Trump's 'Crimes And Obstruction' Have Accelerated: Rep. Pascrell

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com