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Manchin, Capito weigh in on Trump inquiry

West Virginia’s two sitting U.S. senators are closely watching the impeachment maelstrom around President Donald Trump, set in motion by House Democrats last week after the president allegedly asked the Ukrainian government to investigate Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden.

The end goal of Trump’s request to the Ukraine is to tarnish the reputation of Biden — the leading Democrat presidential candidate in the 2020 election — Democrats have charged. That, in turn, has had Democrats calling for Trump’s impeachment.

“West Virginians have made it clear to me time and time again that they would rather Congress focus on the issues that truly affect their day-to-day lives — not political and partisan theatrics,” Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, a Republican, said in a statement from her office.

“Moving forward with an impeachment inquiry before that transcript is even public proves that House Democrats are more interested in partisan politics than in following the facts,” Capito’s statement said.

The House Intelligence Committee on Monday sent a subpoena to Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s attorney, for documents related to the Ukraine controversy, CNN reported.

Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat, said in a statement to The Dominion Post on Monday that it is too early to talk about impeachment until all of the facts become public.

“Any allegation of misconduct with a foreign country must be investigated,” Manchin’s statement said.

“I firmly believe it is premature to jump to any conclusion until an investigation of the facts is complete,” he said. “As a U.S. senator, I take my responsibility in the process very seriously. The Senate’s role is to evaluate the facts. It would be irresponsible of me to comment on each piece of the process until all of the facts come out and the Senate begins to review the findings. I’m hopeful the Senate will rise above party and politics and consider what’s in the best interest of our country; I promise you I will.”

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