Washington, D.C. - Senators Patrick Leahy and Bernie Sanders and Representative Peter Welch issued the following statement:

"As Vermont's representatives to Congress we fully understand and share the frustration and anger of Vermont legislators and many Vermonters with the Bush administration - one of the worst and most destructive in American history.

"Currently, for the first time since President Bush has been in office, there are a number of investigations taking place regarding the actions of the Bush administration, including how and why we invaded Iraq, no-bid contracts, the firing of U.S. attorneys by the attorney general, the assault on constitutional rights and the use of Republican Party emails in the White House.  Before we talk about impeachment, it is imperative that these investigations be allowed to run their course and we should then follow wherever the facts lead.

"In the meantime, in our view, the people of Vermont want us to focus our attention on such issues as ending the war in Iraq, protecting the needs of our veterans, raising the minimum wage, addressing the crisis of global warming and providing health care to all of our citizens."