U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist not pushing impeachment

WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist isn’t among the House Democrats clamoring for impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump.

“I think we need to have our committees conduct their appropriate investigations, and thereafter we can probably come to a conclusion,” Crist told the Florida Phoenix Wednesday during a brief interview on Capitol Hill.

Asked whether Crist has specific questions he wants answered as the House continues its investigations, he said, “Just the facts.”

The former Republican Florida governor – now a Democratic congressman representing the St. Petersburg area –  Crist has been critical of Trump’s behavior as it was portrayed in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report.

It is “clear the president attempted to obstruct the Mueller investigation for fear it would undermine his presidency,” Crist said in an April news release. “The actions of the president as documented in the Mueller report are unprecedented, and cause for serious concern.”

Dozens of House Democrats and one Republican — Michigan Rep. Justin Amash — support launching impeachment proceedings.

Florida U.S. Rep. Val Demings, and Orlando Democrat, has been among the most vocal proponents of launching a formal impeachment inquiry against Trump. Demings is a member of the House Judiciary Committee.

House Democrats “are fighting to protect health care, create good jobs, and fix our immigration system,” she wrote on Twitter last month. She added, “it’s time to open impeachment proceedings. When we protect our democracy, we protect all of those things too.”