House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) said in an impeachment debate Wednesday that he is "deeply concerned that any member of the House would spout Russian propaganda on the floor of the House," referencing a preceding speech by Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas).

Context: Gohmert, a fierce defender of President Trump, claimed that impeachment was an attempt to stop an investigation by the Department of Justice into Ukrainian interference in the U.S. election.

The big picture: President Trump's request that Ukraine's president investigate the conspiracy theory that Ukrainian officials interfered in the 2016 election on behalf of Democrats is one of the alleged abuses of power that has led to his pending impeachment.

In their defenses of the president, Gohmert and other Republicans have claimed that the allegations of Ukrainian interference have merit — contradicting assessments by top Russia expert Fiona Hill and other intelligence community officials that say this is a false narrative propagated by Russian security services.

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