WASHINGTON — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other leaders are trying to tamp a growing clamor from Democrats who want to impeach President Donald Trump, even as the administration continues to block their investigative demands.
Pelosi held a meeting Wednesday morning to discuss oversight and investigations. The meeting comes as many in her party, including some of Pelosi's allies, are saying it's time for Democrats to open impeachment inquiry..
A tipping point came Tuesday when Don McGahn, the former White House counsel, defied a congressional subpoena and did not show up for a hearing where lawmakers had planned to press him on his interactions with Trump regarding special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election. The White House instructed McGahn to ignore the subpoena after the Department of Justice on Monday released a legal opinion that said he was not required to appear.
“This president – as a result of his decision to direct Mr. McGahn not to appear – has engaged in an effort to obstruct and impede and to cover up," said Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I., the chairman of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee, the House Democrats’ messaging arm.
"I think the time has come to begin the formal process of considering impeachment as an option," said Cicilline, a member of the House Judiciary Committee. He said the inquiry should be opened to communicate to the administration the "heightened level of seriousness" of the Democrats' investigations. But he also acknowledged that such a decision was ultimately up to Pelosi, who, so far, is not on board.
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On Monday, a trio of Democratic leaders, including Cicilline, pushed Pelosi, during different meetings to move forward with an impeachment inquiry, but she held firm, according to a Democratic aide who was in the room during the meetings. The interactions were first reported by Politico.
Top House Democrats spent Tuesday insisting that the lawmakers who were calling for impeachment were still the minority of the party – for now.
Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said Tuesday he thinks every Democrat "in their gut" feels Trump has "done some things that probably justify impeachment."
"Having said that, this is the important point, I think the majority of Democrats continue to believe that we need to continue to pursue the avenue that we've been on," he added. "If facts lead us to a broader action, so be it," Hoyer said.
Pelosi has long said impeachment is divisive. In an exclusive interview with USA TODAY in March, she said impeachment would be "a gift" to the president if it was not bipartisan. But after a redacted version of Mueller's report was made public, she said impeachment was possible if facts led there.
“I see a lot more people who have seen what has occurred who would like to see an impeachment inquiry,” Tennessee Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen said Tuesday. Cohen, a member of the House Judiciary Committee, said he has articles of impeachment drafted, but would like to see Mueller come in to testify before he files them.
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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., said Tuesday that Democrats had "no choice" but to open an impeachment inquiry "at the very least."
Ocasio-Cortez said she didn't speak for all of her colleagues but she noted that she had not seen "a lot of overt expression of opposition” to impeachment.
"I think it’s really just a matter of leadership" who oppose the move, she said. Ocasio-Cortez has long supported getting Trump out of office, but she has become increasingly vocal about her desire for an impeachment inquiry after Mueller's report was released.
Over the weekend, Rep. Justin Amash, R-Mich., said he had read the Mueller report and determined that the president had committed impeachable offenses. However, no other Republicans have followed Amash in calling for impeachment.
Contributing: Bart Jansen for USA TODAY
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/05/22/democrats-pelosi-meet-impeachment-trump/3752337002/
2019-05-22 11:57:00Z
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