The release of a memo documenting a conversation between President Donald Trump and Ukraine's president has spurred a range of reactions from Colorado's congressional delegation.
So far, almost all of it has split along partisan lines.
The transcript memorializes a July phone call between Trump and Ukranian leader Volodymyr Zelensky. In it, Trump urged his counterpart to investigate the family of former Vice President and 2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden. He also offered the help of personal lawyer Rudi Guiliani and of Attorney General William Barr.
Some Colorado Republicans praised the president for his transparency, and none said it justified Congressional action. Meanwhile, Democrats said the document underscored the need for an impeachment inquiry, which House Speaker Nancy Pelosi launched Tuesday.
Sens. Michael Bennet and Cory Gardner have not released statements or said anything on Twitter about the memo so far. Democratic Reps. Jason Crow and Ed Perlmutter also haven't given a public comment.
Rep. Diana DeGette (Democrat - District 1)
Rep. Joe Neguse (Democrat - District 2)
Rep. Scott Tipton (Republican - District 3)
Following the release of the rough transcript, Rep. Tipton gave a written statement on the decision to open an impeachment inquiry.
"The administration is correct to release the full transcript of the phone call in question, the whistleblower complaint and the IG report to the American public as it is important that all the facts be laid on the table for a thorough review. Calls for impeachment at this point are premature"
Later, Rep. Tipton told CPR the memo contained no evidence of a quid pro quo agreement, which some believe would be the threshold for a crime.
"I do not see that," he said. "It was a conversation. And that was in my eyes as far as it went."
Rep. Ken Buck (Republican - District 4)
Rep. Buck has yet to comment on the memo but did tweet his reaction to a formal impeachment inquiry after its release on Wednesday.
Rep. Doug Lamborn (Republican - District 5)
Following the release of the rough transcript, Rep. Lambourn went on the offense in support of the president.
Lamborn tweeted that he believed the memo showed that Trump "did nothing wrong" because it did not contain any threats to withhold foreign aid.
The Republican representative also took the House floor to call for a Congressional investigation into Biden and his son, Hunter Biden. Specifically, Lamborn wants an inquiry into whether the former vice president protected his son by helping to fire Ukraine's top prosecutor in 2016. Hunter Biden was a paid board member for the country's largest natural gas company at the time.
There's currently no evidence for the theory. In fact, many believe the prosecutor was failing to investigate corruption.
