Article snippet: WASHINGTON — For months, Massachusetts Representative Richard Neal resisted calling for a formal impeachment inquiry into President Trump — at his own political peril — as dozens of his Democratic colleagues jumped on board. Now, after joining House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in making that call this week, the Springfield Democrat finds himself at the center of the action as one of six House committee chairs investigating Trump. Neal, who shies away from controversy, spent Tuesday and Wednesday in hastily arranged meetings with top Democrats on Capitol Hill about how impeachment proceedings will unfold. As head of the House Ways and Means Committee, Neal is seen as vital to the effort because he leads the only committee with the authority to demand Trump’s tax returns. Neal said the speaker’s call for an impeachment inquiry adds legitimacy to his pursuit of the documents, which his committee has sought since April in what has become a legal battle with the Trump administration. One reason for obtaining the returns would be to determine whether Trump has used his office for improper personal gain. In an interview in his ornate committee office Wednesday, Neal said the revelations about Trump’s phone call with the Ukrainian president asking for an investigation into Joe Biden’s son altered his thinking on impeachment. “When the president said, ‘Yes, I did do it,’ that kind of changed the argument. This is something people can understand,” he said. Neal praised Pelosi’s ... Link to the full article to read more