Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) said Sunday that he does not believe Congress should begin impeachment proceedings against President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden on Trump's refusal to commit to peaceful transfer of power: 'What country are we in?' Romney: 'Unthinkable and unacceptable' to not commit to peaceful transition of power Two Louisville police officers shot amid Breonna Taylor grand jury protests MORE.

Ryan, a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, said he wanted to defer to the House Judiciary Committee's assessment of special counsel Robert Mueller Robert (Bob) MuellerCNN's Toobin warns McCabe is in 'perilous condition' with emboldened Trump CNN anchor rips Trump over Stone while evoking Clinton-Lynch tarmac meeting The Hill's 12:30 Report: New Hampshire fallout MORE's report before Congress takes decisive action.

"This is very, very, very serious. I believe that the first step is to have Rep. Jerry Nadler Jerrold (Jerry) Lewis NadlerDemocrats shoot down talk of expanding Supreme Court Schumer: 'Nothing is off the table' if GOP moves forward with Ginsburg replacement Top Democrats call for DOJ watchdog to probe Barr over possible 2020 election influence MORE (D-N.Y.) continue to open up this investigation to better understand this. We are just getting this document," Ryan said on CNN.

"Let the Judiciary Committee look at this. There's a process in place here. I trust Jerry Nadler, he's one of the smartest guys in the United States Congress, I think that's the natural next step and let's see where that leads," he added.

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"So you do not support impeachment as of right now, but you want the … investigation process to begin?" CNN "State of the Union" host Jake Tapper asked.

"Let the process play itself out," Ryan responded. "And let's educate the American people, too. This is a very nuanced document, let the American people really see what's going on here."

Tapper pressed Ryan on whether he believed his colleagues in Congress who are pushing for impeachment "are making a mistake," referencing an impeachment resolution introduced by Rep. Rashida Tlaib Rashida Harbi TlaibTrump attacks Omar for criticizing US: 'How did you do where you came from?' George Conway: 'Trump is like a practical joke that got out of hand' Pelosi endorses Kennedy in Massachusetts Senate primary challenge MORE (D-Mich.) late last month.

"I personally think that there's a lot of obstruction here, so I understand their move to try to impeach. I would just rather us take this next step, educate the American people, really get these details out, let the Judiciary Committee do its work … and let the country start functioning normally through these processes that we've established and then we'll go from there. Everyone's welcome to do what they want, and I feel the sentiment," he added.

Ryan's comments came days after fellow 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth WarrenDimon: Wealth tax 'almost impossible to do' CNN's Don Lemon: 'Blow up the entire system' remark taken out of context Democrats shoot down talk of expanding Supreme Court MORE (Mass.) became the first major party candidate to call for the House to begin impeachment proceedings against Trump.

Warren cited a portion of Mueller's report in which he wrote that Congress has the authority to conduct obstruction of justice investigations, saying that such probes can provide a check if a president is corrupt.

"Mueller put the next step in the hands of Congress: 'Congress has authority to prohibit a President's corrupt use of his authority in order to protect the integrity of the administration of justice.' The correct process for exercising that authority is impeachment," she said in an email announcing her position.