Democrats are pushing ahead with an impeachment vote against President Trump, even after Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said it’s not worth pursuing because it’s too divisive for the country.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., plans to seek a vote on a new impeachment resolution she introduced this week, in spite of Pelosi’s lack of enthusiasm for it.
“I’m going to move forward, obviously,” Tlaib said following a closed-door meeting with fellow Democrats Tuesday morning. “Speaker Pelosi and all members of leadership have always encouraged us to represent our districts and this was something that was very important to my resident and continues to be.”
Pelosi told the Washington Post in an article published Monday that pursuing impeachment isn’t worth it and she doesn’t support it. But many rank-and-file Democrats believe it’s too soon to rule out impeachment, and that the House must vigorously pursue investigations into the president to seek out offenses.
Late Monday, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., said of Pelosi’s comment, “I happen to disagree.”
Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif., is also among the progressive lawmakers who don’t want the House to drop its effort to remove Trump. He first called for the House to impeach the president in May 2017 and believes it has helped to prevent the president from firing special counsel Robert Mueller or to obstruct the Russia collusion probe in some other ways.
“By calling for impeachment, by talking about impeachment, we were able to limit what this president would do,” Sherman said.
Mueller’s investigation so far appears to lack any evidence that Trump colluded with Russia. But Democrats are ready to move past collusion and try to nab the president for other crimes or violations related to his business practices and potential conflict of interest with his office.
“If you call them investigatory hearings, if you call them impeachment hearings, either way we are showing the American people what this president has done,” Sherman said. “We are changing public opinion and when public opinion is in support of removal, I’m confident the impeachment will go forward.”
Sherman predicted that evidence from the Mueller probe so far won’t be enough to win support for impeachment.
Meanwhile, the House Judiciary Committee has launched a broad investigation into Trump’s business dealings, his campaign, and transition team.
“Frankly I think it’s going to take new facts, as damning as the old facts are,” Sherman said.
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., who headed the Democratic National Committee during the 2016 election, said it’s too early to decide whether to launch an impeachment effort and that House Democrats first need to thoroughly investigate the president. Only then should Congress move on impeachment, or rule it out.
“We need to return Congress to its role where there is serious accountability over this administration and oversight conducted, which was completely absent during the Republican majority,” Wasserman Schultz said. “And we need to wait for the Mueller report. There will be time when we have all the facts at our fingertips and we will be able to make decisions like that.”
[Opinion: Pelosi didn’t throw impeachment away, she put it in the fridge for later]
