40 conservative groups sign ethics complaint against Pelosi John Bowden "The Hill"

A coalition of conservative groups have filed an ethics complaint against Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), arguing among other charges that she has usurped authority from the executive branch by "weaponiz[ing]" the impeachment process.

In a complaint to the Office of Congressional Ethics, 40 conservative groups led by Jenny Beth Martin of Tea Party Patriots Action wrote to board chairman David Skaggs arguing that a vote scheduled for this week on the House's impeachment inquiry was "insufficient" to dispel notions of partisanship from the process, which they argued had been undertaken unilaterally by the Speaker.

"Speaker Pelosi's latest impeachment gambit - at last, a vote of the full House! -- is merely a continuation of her ongoing roughshod-running," said Martin.

"The genie cannot be put back in the bottle. All that 'evidence' that has been gathered before the casting of a single vote is tainted by the corrupt, secret process in which it was gathered. It is poisoned, and must be discarded for the sake of fairness," Martin added.

Pelosi's office did not immediately return a request for comment.

Allies of President Trump have argued that the impeachment process is being conducted in an insufficiently bipartisan manner as Democrats have brought in a steady stream of witnesses to argue that quid pro quo existed between Trump and Ukraine's president over U.S. military aide and plans for Ukraine's government to launch investigations into former Vice President Joe Biden (D) and the Democratic National Committee (DNC).