As the impeachment heat has ratcheted up on Donald Trump, Ohio Republican Chairman Jane Timken has ratcheted up the rhetoric.

In an email Monday to supporters entitled "Coup against President Trump?" she said, "This is a call for all patriots to stand up to Nancy Pelosi and her team of gangsters in Congress."

"The Democrats' witch hunt is in full swing. It is just attack after attack after attack on President Trump," said Timken, who won the job in January 2017 when Trump supported her over incumbent Chairman Matt Borges, who had backed John Kasich in 2016's presidential race.

"Impeachment is all the Democrats can think about. They still can't accept that President Trump won the White House fair and square! And they know they can't beat President Trump in 2020.

"Is their answer an attempted coup of our President?! Is 'Shifty' (Democratic House Intelligence Committee Chairman) Adam Schiff leading this coup?"

The missive links to a one question "survey" on a Ohio GOP website that asks: IS SHIFTY ADAM SCHIFF LEADING A COUP AGAINST PRESIDENT TRUMP?

"You and I know, President Trump has done nothing wrong," Timken wrote. "It's time for the Democrats to get back to doing the American people's work."

In her weekly email Sunday, Timken referred to the Democrats' "phony impeachment proceedings," adding that "Democrats have always rejected the outcome of the 2016 election, and this impeachment process is just one more attempt at meddling with results they don't like."

Last week, the GOP leader accused Democrats of "trying anything they can to rewrite history." In a fundraising missive, Timken said, "The radical Left has already tried almost every dirty trick in the book."

And when the Democratic candidates were in Westerville for their latest presidential primary debate, she said they were merely touting "the same lies and socialist propaganda."

drowland@dispatch.com

@darreldrowland