House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said Wednesday that he supported an investigation into President Donald Trump by Judiciary Committee Democrats but walked back comments contradicting that they were conducting an impeachment inquiry.
Hoyer, 80, initially told reporters "no" when asked at a news conference on Capitol Hill if he believed a Judiciary impeachment inquiry was underway.
"Because I think the delineation ought to be whether or not they're considering a resolution of impeachment," Hoyer said, The Hill reports, adding that he did not believe the panel was actively considering a resolution to impeach.
"I do not think the nature of what is going on has changed," he said. "It may accelerate depending on what information they find."
But Hoyer's response contradicted longstanding comments by Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y.
Nadler, since last month's release of Russia special counsel Robert Mueller's report, has said the committee was in "formal impeachment proceedings" to determine whether to recommend impeachment articles to the full House.
Soon after session with reporters, however, Hoyer said in a statement posted on Twitter that he had thought the question was about whether the full House was actively considering articles of impeachment.
"I strongly support Chairman Nadler and the Judiciary Committee Democrats as they proceed with their investigation 'to determine whether to recommend articles of impeachment to the full House,' as the resolution states," the statement said.
"It is critical that Congress have access to all of the relevant facts, and we will follow those facts wherever they lead, including impeachment," Hoyer said.
Nadler told reporters late Monday: "We have been involved since June or July in an investigation looking toward the possibility of voting on articles of impeachment.
"You can call it an impeachment inquiry," he added, according to the Hill. "You can call it an investigation. It's the same thing."
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