The vice chairwoman of the House Democratic Caucus broke ranks with the party leadership Thursday by calling for an impeachment inquiry of President Trump.
Rep. Katherine Clark of Massachusetts is the highest-ranking Democrat to call for impeachment. Her announcement comes a day after former special counsel Robert Mueller testified before two House panels about his report into alleged collusion between Russia and the 2016 Trump campaign.
Clark said impeachment is necessary to complete sweeping investigations into the Trump administration and the president.
“All our efforts to put the facts before the American people, however, have been met with unprecedented stonewalling and obstruction,” Clark said. “That is why I believe we need to open an impeachment inquiry that will provide us with a more formal way to uncover the facts.”
Clark released her statement moments after the House adjourned for a six-week recess.
Her decision bucks the top Democratic leadership, who oppose impeachment and instead are directing the caucus to investigate Trump through committee oversight and several court battles for documents and witness testimony.
Many Democrats were deflated by Mueller’s testimony, which many claimed was halting and lacked energy.
Democrats in the pro-impeachment camp said that despite the flat performance, Mueller’s appearance delivered key points in their case against Trump and the belief that he tried to obstruct the investigation.
After the hearing, they pushed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to move ahead with impeachment, but Pelosi pushed back, arguing more evidence is needed that can be gained through oversight committee investigations.
