Without a doubt, President Trump's recent remarks about four duly-elected Members of Congress were racist and xenophobic.

From the early days of his campaign, he's frequently used hate speech tropes and dog-whistles but, as President of the United States, he's moved to full-throated racist attacks. His words and actions are unacceptable.

However, racism and bigotry, while incredibly abhorrent, are not impeachable offenses. Impeachment is one of the most serious actions that Congress can take, and it must be based on a solid, factual record of high crimes and misdemeanors.

Rather than being tabled, I believe that this week's resolution on impeachment should have been referred to the House Judiciary Committee, where these critical matters are currently being investigated.

As I have said, should the Judiciary Committee move forward with an impeachment inquiry, I will offer my full support.

Next week, former special counsel Robert Mueller will publicly testify before the House Judiciary and Intelligence Committees which will finally allow for a high profile, public accounting of the findings detailed in the Mueller report.

Six House committees are currently investigating serious allegations against President Trump. We should use the evidence from those investigations to compile a comprehensive list of potentially impeachable offenses to build a strong case to form the basis for an impeachment inquiry.

The long-term health of our democratic republic depends on it.

Peter