A majority of Democrats in the US House of Representatives now favour launching impeachment proceedings against Republican President Donald Trump, after a California lawmaker became the 118th Democrat to call for the process to begin.
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"In the past few years, our nation has seen and heard things from this president that have no place in our democracy," Representative Salud Carbajal said in a statement that accused Trump of "criminal" behaviour.
"I believe it is time to open an impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump," Carbajal said.
The Democrats have a majority of 235 members in the House of Representatives.
Support for an impeachment inquiry has jumped by more than two dozen Democrats since former Special Counsel Robert Mueller testified on July 24 about his probe of Trump and Russian interference in the 2016 election.
But the total of 118 is still far short of the 218 House votes needed to approve an impeachment resolution, and opinion polls continue to show voters sharply divided over the issue.
The House is currently on a summer recess and will not return until September 9.
Trump has denied any wrongdoing and says he was vindicated by the Mueller report, but the special counsel made clear in his testimony to Congress that that was not the case.
Australian Associated Press
