The following excerpts are from statements issued Tuesday in advance of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s historic announcement that her chamber would open an impeachment inquiry into President Trump. Rep. Joe Courtney and Senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy are eastern Connecticut’s elected representatives in Washington. All are Democrats.

Courtney will be voting on any articles of impeachment presented to the House. If the House votes to impeach, a Senate trial would follow, with Blumenthal and Murphy having to decide whether to convict. A two-thirds Senate vote is necessary to convict and remove a president. That has never happened in the nation's history.

Rep. Joe Courtney

Over the last several months, I have remained firmly committed to taking the process of investigating the President’s actions in 2016 one step at a time to methodically uncover the facts, to inform the American public, and build the case for any actions that may be needed to ensure accountability wherever it is required.

I have supported the process of allowing these committees to utilize all of the tools available to get the answers that Congress needs, and the American people deserve. I repeated that message in telephone town halls, live town halls, chamber of commerce breakfasts and countless other public events during the last two years – sometimes to the frustration of many listeners.

Recently, a new development has rapidly changed my thinking … a “credible” whistleblower complaint of “urgent concern” was made regarding multiple presidential conversations in July 2019 that included extralegal promises with a foreign leader. Credible reports indicate that the president has attempted to leverage Congressionally-approved and taxpayer-funded security assistance for Ukraine to extract political benefits against a potential opponent.

The American people deserve to know that their president is using the highest office in our land and the awesome power it holds to serve the national interest – not to pursue political attacks against a potential rival.

That is why I now believe it is time to elevate this process to a formal inquiry on the President and his potential misconduct, and to follow the facts wherever they may lead – which includes the most serious action the House can take under the Constitution: impeachment.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal

I am calling today for a House Select Committee to investigate and move forward with impeachment proceedings against the President. I reached this decision with sadness, but also anger, after the President has repeatedly broken laws and betrayed his oath of office. His seeking corrupt assistance from a foreign leader for personal political gain crosses the line. This illegal misuse of the presidency for private benefit is an impeachable act. At this moment, the threat to the rule of law and our democracy has reached a new height and requires all of us to step forward.

Sen. Chris Murphy

This fragility of our American experiment means that once in a while it is tested by overreaching leaders who find its checks and balances an inconvenient barrier to the accumulation of power. At these moments, our democracy cannot fight back on its own – it needs all of us to rally to its banner. Today stands as one of those nation-defining moments.

In May, I first raised for my colleagues my grave concern that President Donald Trump was using the massive power of his office to demand that a foreign power dig up or manufacture damaging information about one of the president’s election opponents, former Vice President Joe Biden. In the last several days, it has come to light that President Trump in fact personally lobbied the President of Ukraine to begin a politically-motivated investigation of Vice President Biden in service of his own 2020 reelection campaign.

To use America’s global credibility as a casino token, to be cashed in for personal political gain, is an intolerable abuse of power and totally anathema to the rule of law.

It is now my belief that the House of Representatives must begin an impeachment inquiry into the president’s corrupt efforts to press a foreign nation into the service of his reelection campaign. If … the president violated his oath of office by using the constitutional powers entrusted to him to try to destroy a political rival, then the president much be impeached.