U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden joined calls for an impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump on Thursday, saying what he sees as the president’s dishonesty and dangerous conduct warrants an investigation into whether impeachment is appropriate.

Wyden’s comments, delivered in an op-ed published in The Oregonian, place him among the small group of Democratic senators who have endorsed an impeachment inquiry, including Oregon’s other U.S. senator, Jeff Merkley.

Wyden said his views are based on observations of what he called Trump’s “twisted thinking” about the breadth of presidential powers.

The president, Wyden said, has abused his authority by refusing entry to asylum seekers, attempting to obstruct the Russia election interference inquiry, failing to protect election systems from further vulnerabilities, brooding about possible war with Iran and by pushing for government surveillance tools to be installed within smartphones.

“Simply put, Trump’s many actions following from his twisted thinking that he enjoys unchecked power add up to a damning indictment,” Wyden wrote.

It’s unclear how Wyden’s statements will make an effect, if any, on support in Congress for an impeachment inquiry.

Members of the U.S. House ultimately decide whether to impeach the president, and support for that course of action is far from the margin necessary to ensure success.

Slightly more than 100 representatives have indicated support for an impeachment inquiry. Three are from Oregon: Earl Blumenauer, Suzanne Bonamici and Peter DeFazio. It takes a majority vote in the 435-member chamber to bring charges against the president with an impeachment resolution.

In the unlikely event that were to happen to Trump, the Senate would hold an impeachment trial. Such a trial would almost assuredly result in acquittal in the Republican-controlled Senate.

— Gordon R. Friedman

GFriedman@Oregonian.com