In national news, this week marked the second series of hearings in the impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump. A central point of the proceedings was whether Trump used his official powers to benefit himself politically by inducing Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden.

Gordon Sondland, Ambassador to the European Union, testified, “Was there a ‘quid pro quo?’ As I testified previously, with regard to the requested White House call and White House meeting, the answer is yes.”

Wednesday also marked the fifth debate for Democratic presidential candidates. Ten candidates shared the stage in Atlanta. The Iowa caucuses will take place on Feb. 3, 2½ months away.

Here is what some of Colorado’s political leaders are saying:

“Today’s testimony from Ambassador Sondland is devastating to this President and the American People. The pressure campaign against Ukraine to undermine our democracy was at the “Express direction of the President.” -U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse in a tweet

“Two legal takeaways.

1. You can’t negate criminal intent by simply saying “I intended no crime” after the fact.  Intent refers to the state of mind accompanying the original act.  

2. Attempted bribery constitutes bribery. See 18 U.S.C. 201.” -former state Rep. Cole Wist in a tweet

“I started a 46 cent bet a year ago. The bet was that Nancy Pelosi would be our first female president. One person said he’d bet 46 million that wouldn’t happen. You know who you are.” -Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Diana Bray in a tweet

“Now the question is: Will my Republican colleagues stand up and defend our Constitution?” -U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet in a tweet

“Important Reminder:#DemDebate candidates would…

 Eliminate 89K Colorado energy jobs

 Take back the $1,400+ the average Coloradan received from the tax cuts

Cancel health insurance for 2.7M Coloradans who have employer-based insurance#copolitics” -U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner in a tweet

“In exactly 14 months, one of the women or men on stage at tonight’s#DemocraticDebate will likely stand on the west front of the Capitol to take the oath of office. Let’s make sure@CoryGardner is watching from home-not from the inaugural platform.” -Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Andrew Romanoff in a tweet

“With a Democrat in the White House, we can be confident that we’ll have a President who will prioritize access to quality, affordable healthcare to all, building an economy that works for everyone (not just billionaires and corporations), combating the crisis of climate change that threatens our natural environment, and standing up to the NRA so we can finally pass commonsense gun safety reform at the federal level like we have in Colorado.” -Colorado Democratic Party Chair Morgan Carroll in an e-mail