While he hasn't supported impeachment yet, North Florida Congressman Al Lawson says a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives on the matter is likely to happen soon.
"I believe that within the next couple of weeks, there's going to be a vote on impeachment," Lawson said during an appearance on First Coast Connect with Melissa Ross on Wednesday.
"There's more and more pressure on all of us," Lawson said, with regard to feedback from constituents to launch formal impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump.
Related: Listen to the full interview with Lawson
"I've traveled throughout the district, and the first thing people come up and tell you, from Chattahoochee to Jacksonville, is 'When are you going to impeach this guy? When are you going to impeach this cat?' and they talk about it all the time. And so I haven't given them my answer, but I might have to come to an answer."
Lawson is a moderate Democrat whose 5th Congressional District stretches from Jacksonville west to Tallahassee.
Lawson also went on the record as backing former Democratic Vice President Joe Biden's bid to become president. "You know, I think he is more equipped to win. I mean, you know, I gave it a considerable amount of study before I decided, adding, "he'll be the best guy to go against the president."
Lawson said there's a chance the House might end its August recess early to return to Washington to press harder for gun safety and reform legislation in the wake of the recent mass shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio.
"You would think that as, as Congress, we'd be willing to pass gun safety laws, and try to protect the American people. You see now that people in Europe are being notified that maybe you might not want to travel to America, you know, you might be in harm's way. It is a real issue. And so as a result, you know, there's a good possibility that we will be called back to try to put more pressure on the Senate to pass something," he said.
He added: "My Republican colleagues are pretty much owned by the NRA. And they are afraid to go against the NRA because of opposition they will probably receive in the next election. So they really have to ask themselves, who do we represent? Do we represent the American people? Or do we represent the NRA? And it's really a sad situation, simply because we should be concerned about more the safety of American people."
Moving beyond the issues of impeachment and gun violence, Lawson said he's working to try secure funding for a VA Hospital in Jacksonville, "so people don't have to travel to Gainesville, or Lake City."
Another priority for Lawson is getting increased financial support to try to ahead of the flooding that some Jacksonville communities deal with during severe weather.
"We are seeking an appropriation of $136 million from the US Army Corps of Engineers to prevent flooding in North Florida," he said.
Melissa Ross can be reached at mross@wjct.org, 904-358-6382 or on Twitter at @MelissainJax.
