AOC: Trump used his power to 'extort' Ukraine into a 'manufactured' investigation, 'must be impeached'

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Ocasio-Cortez: What Trump has already admitted to are impeachable offenses

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speaks to reporters following Speaker Pelosi's announcement on a formal impeachment inquiry.

New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez attempted to simplify the Ukraine controversy by telling a town hall in her district that President Trump tried extorting the eastern European nation into creating a "manufactured" investigation.

"Long story short, the president of the United States used the power of the United States government to extort a foreign government into creating a false -- or drumming up a manufactured investigation into a political opponent," the Democratic congresswoman said on Thursday evening.

"This is a violation of the Constitution of the United States. It is an abuse of power. It is a betrayal of our country," she added before arguing for impeachment.

DOCUMENTS HEIGHTEN SCRUTINY ON BIDEN-UKRAINE DEALINGS, INDICATE HUNTER MAY HAVE MADE 'MILLIONS'

Ocasio-Cortez, who has long called for impeachment, said the inquiry -- announced by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., at the end of September -- was overdue.

In announcing the inquiry, Pelosi said the Trump administration also violated the law by suppressing a whistleblower report on his call with Ukraine. During that call, Trump urged Ukraine's president to investigate a number of issues, including corruption allegations surrounding former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter.

In the White House's rough transcript of that call, Trump gave no explicit quid pro quo for foreign aid but Democrats have pointed to the call's circumstances as evidence that he was applying pressure to Ukraine's president.

Biden previously urged the Ukrainian government to fire its top prosecutor who happened to be investigating a firm where Hunter served on the Board of Directors.

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Later in the town hall, Ocasio-Cortez claimed that the Democratic Party was united on impeachment. "I can assure you that at this moment, there is nothing that is going to shake the unity of the Democratic Party in impeaching the President of the United States," she said.